Diner en Blanc

Last night Philadelphia hosted the second annual Diner en Blanc event in Center City. Thousands of people showed up at their designated meeting location not knowing where the final stop would be. The whole concept behind Diner en Blanc is that it is a pop up dining experience. You wear all white and bring your table, chairs, silverware and food. Once you arrive at the "secret location" you line up your tables, set up your food and wine and dine all night. Sais fabuleux!!

My meeting point was at the Love Park. After everyone arrived we started walking towards the "secret location" which ended up being 30th Street station. We set up or table and chairs right on JFK and enjoyed a fabulous night of eating and dancing. It definitely was the perfect event to attend right before I leave for Paris.

For my menu I decided to make a few things that were easy to transport and had a French flare to. I decided to start off my picnic with a cheese plate. I chose four types of cheeses; a soft cow/sheep milk cheese, a blue, hard cows milk cheese and a cheddar. I also paired the cheeses with nuts, dried figs and apricot jam that my mom made. For the second course I made a truffled leek and pancetta quiche with gruyere cheese and paired that with a pear and prosciutto salad. The meal was perfect and the best part was that we got to share our food with all the other guests.

Here is how I did it:

Truffled Leek and Pancetta Quiche with Gruyere Cheese:
- 4 large leeks
- 6 ounce piece of pancetta
- 3/4 cup gruyere cheese
- 6 eggs
- 3/4 half and half cream
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs butter
- 2 tbs truffle infused oil
- salt and pepper

Pear and Prosciutto Salad:
- 3 cups of arugula
- 1/2 pear sliced
- 2 slices of prosciutto
- 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese
- 1 tbs dijon mustard
- 3 tbs white vinegar
- 1/2 tbs honey
- 3 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper

For the quiche, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take your leeks and cut the top green part off and discard. Cut the leeks length wise and place in a bowl with cold water to remove to sand. Place a pot on the stove with a little water. Once your leeks are clean, put them in the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes and then drain them.

Place the pot back on the stove with 1 tbs olive oil and 1 tbs butter. Take your pancetta and cut it in cubes and fry in the pan. Once they are golden and crisp, remove them from the pan and drain them with a paper towel.

Leave the oil from the pancetta in the pan and place the leeks in them. Sauté under medium/low heat for 20-25 minutes until they are translucent . After that point, add the truffle oil and pancetta back in and mix together. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs (beaten), half and half, gruyere cheese and leeks. Season with salt and pepper and pour the mixture in a 9 inch pan that is greased. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour until the center is firm. 

For the salad, combine to the mustard, honey, and white vinegar together. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salad and pepper. To assemble the salad, place the arugula first with the dressing and then add the slices of pear on top and the strips of prosciutto. Sprinkle the romano cheese. 

I pre cut the quiche into serving sizes and placed them in a to go container. I did this with the salad and cheese as well. I also bought white square paper plates to use as serving platters and plastic wine glasses. It was perfect! We had just the right amount of food and it tasted delicious! 

Bon Appetite!

Anne