Lhe slices of quiche are to bakery windows what abandoned suitcases are to station halls: lonely souls that we look at out of the corner of our eyes before turning away. On paper, however, they have it all: cream, eggs, cheese and shortcrust pastry – a one-way ticket to planet comfort. But, often, the balance of the dish is fragile and we prefer to pass our turn: all it takes is a burnt crust, a single badly dosed ingredient and it’s disgust guaranteed. So, when you come across the perfect part – the one that lets itself be swallowed up greedily – you take it in your hand, you admire it, you cherish it and you promise to tell your friends about it.
Quiches des Pieds sous la table fall into this category. In this small deli shop wedged between boulevard Saint-Germain and the Luxembourg garden (Paris 6e), savory pies are best-sellers. At lunchtime, the regulars parade in waves to win one of these generous triangular portions. Stacked in a staggered row in the middle of the counter, they are the ephemeral works of Marc Nicolas and Clément Corbara, two young cooks who became friends during their years of training at the Paul-Bocuse Institute.
The surface reflects a whole palette of colors from egg-yolk to orange-brown.
After having worked in several prestigious establishments, the two of them met again in 2020 around this joint entrepreneurial project, halfway between the catering restaurant and the delicatessen. Since then, they have been distilling their fine craftsmanship, in the simplest way possible, through specialties in jars (veal blanquette, country pâté with hazelnuts from Ile-de-France or pears poached with Timut pepper), homemade dishes to be reheated (veal dumplings with Paris mushrooms, dahl of green lentils from Île-de-France with organic curry) or charcuterie pastries (pâté en croute, puff pastries with ham, gougères).
Comté, chicken or chard-almonds
But back to our quiches. They are available here every day in four recipes that change composition according to seasonal arrivals (local vegetables, meat from short circuits) – and some very good inspirations. At the beginning of October, we taste for example the classic of a Lorraine (comté, plain and smoked pork belly), the velvet of a free-range chicken-sweet potatoes-red onions, the delicacy of a three cheese (ewe, county, goat’s cheese) or even the crunchy green of chard-roasted almonds.
The gaze first lingers on the perfectly golden surface, which sometimes evokes flan, sometimes crème brûlée: it reflects a whole palette of colors – from egg yolk to orange-brown. The shortcrust pastry, delicately dark, sets a graceful decor: a “V” point, an arcuate outline, a clean base at a right angle. To warm up, we drink a sip of homemade soup (pumpkin-parsnip) and then we get carried away. One, two, three, four, five, six bites – and we are already wondering what ingredients the next day’s quiches will be made with. The start of a new addiction.
Seasonal quiches, €4.50 per slice. Feet under the table, 48, rue Monsieur-le-Prince, Paris 6e. Tel: 01-42-49-54-34.
