Hot Dog Quiche

São Paulo is an amazing place and my travels have taken me to a new urban market where I met with Daniela Narciso. Daniela is one of the masterminds behind 'Chefs on the Street' and 'Small Gastronomic Fair' two local events which are bridging the gap between gourmet cuisine and street food. Her goal is to change the perception of street food in São Paulo and it's working...

Daniela promised me some of the best street food in São Paulo. I was then introduced to Raphael, one of the 'hottest' names when it comes to gourmet food, but now he's taken his culinary talent to the streets and his specialty is his French Hot Dog. Now what makes Raphael's Hot Dog... um... French? His sausages are a mixture of the finest beef and pork, gruyere cheese, nothing processed and uses naturally fermented bread to resemble a baguette. 

Raphael & his French Hot Dog 

Sausage, bread and cheese: Good quality ingredients and keeping it simple is what makes great food and I am going to use just those ingredients for this inspired dish... My Hot Dog Quiche! 

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My Hot Dog Quiche 

Ingredients

• 1 large white bloomer loaf
• Olive oil
• 1 lb 1¾ oz (500g) banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways
• 1 oz (25g) unsalted butter
• 2 tsps caster sugar
• 4 large hot dogs, cut into thick slices
• 3 large eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 0.3 pt (150 ml) double cream
• 0.3 pt (150 ml) milk
• 2 tsps Dijon mustard
• Small bunch chives, finely chopped
• 3½ oz (100g) Gruyère cheese, grated
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the bloomer lengthways through the middle and remove the top. Hollow out the base of the loaf to make a shell then brush the inside with olive oil.

Bake for 10 minutes until crisp then leave to cool. Turn the oven down to 120 degrees Celsius or 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter and sugar in a large, non-stick frying pan with a little oil and add the shallots, cut side down.

Fry for 5 minutes until golden then turn and fry for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the oven for 15 minutes until soft.

Spoon the shallots into the bread shell then scatter the sliced hot dogs over the top. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk and mustard together until smooth then stir through the chives and half of the cheese.

Season with plenty of salt and pepper then pour over the hot dogs and shallots. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese then bake for 35 to 40 minutes until just set, but with a slight wobble in the centre.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before slicing.