Quiche

Quiche can be eaten hot or cold as a main dish or as an appetizer.  It makes for a tasty surprise in the lunch box, as well.

I've had a love affair with Quiche since I first tasted it way back in the twentieth century.  It was at its height of popularity, as food trends go, in the 1970s and 80s and it seemed everyone was eating it.  I'm still eating it as it has never lost its popularity at my house.  And as far as I know, most real men do eat quiche!

This Quiche recipe is really a basic recipe for a plain cheese custard but adding the different fillings and putting everything in a crust gives you a tasty Quiche to share with your family and friends.  This Quiche can be eaten hot as the main dish in a meal or cut into small slices and served hot or cold as an appetizer at a party.  Leftover Quiche also makes a delicious addition to the lunchbox and can be eaten cold or heated in the school or office microwave.  It can also be frozen for another meal.

You might also want to check out this recipe for Carrot and Onion Quiche.

Printable recipe at end of post.

Quiche

• 1-9 inch unbaked pie shell (homemade or frozen)
• 2 eggs (use 3 eggs for a firmer texture)
• 1 cup whole milk, evaporated milk or half and half (blended cream)
• ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1-1½ cups shredded cheese--Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, etc

Fillings: Choose 2 or 3 of the following (a total of 1-1½ cups filling):

• ½ cup sauted onions
• ½ cup drained mushrooms or ½ cup sauted fresh mushrooms
• ½ cup chopped broccoli (lightly cooked)
• 1 sliced or chopped tomatoes (add basil or oregano to milk mixture)
• ½ cup cooked and drained and chopped spinach (use frozen for convenience)
• ½ cup any favorite vegetable

• Herbs or spices to taste, optional.

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  You may also *blind bake the pie crust, if you wish (see below for instructions).

Lay half the cheese on the bottom of the pie crust.  Layer 2 or 3 fillings on top of the cheese. Beat eggs with milk/cream adding the salt and pepper and any additional herbs or spices.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Pour egg mixture over filling. Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees. Test to make sure the middle is not still wet.  Remove when baked and let set 5 minutes before cutting. 

Good served with a  tossed green or vegetable salad, green peas and/or carrots, and baked beans.

Makes one 9-inch Quiche/6 dinner servings/12-16 appetizer servings.

Lay half of the cheese on the bottom of the pie crust and then add layers of filling.

This is a Spinach and Onion Quiche using Swiss and Feta cheese.

This is a Broccoli, Onion and Mushroom Quiche using Cheddar cheese.  I took the pictures before I put in the mushroom.

 Beat the eggs and milk/cream together.

Season with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you want.  I used a little nutmeg with the Spinach Quiche.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the filling and pour over the egg mixture.

 Try not to spill the egg mixture over the crust.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

The quiche took almost 60 minutes to bake.  Test to make sure the middle is not still wet before you remove it from the oven.

When I made the Broccoli Quiche I made sure the crust was high enough in the pie plate so there would be no spilled milk over the pastry.

 Let the Quiche rest at least 5 minutes before cutting.

 Each Quiche will yield 6 generous servings for a main meal.

 You may wish to cut smaller pieces to yield 12-16 appetizer-sized slices.

Quiche is excellent served hot or cold and makes a great addition to a lunch box.

*How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust

To blind bake a pie shell place parchment paper or foil wrap on top of the unbaked pie crust.  Line the paper with dried beans, raw rice or pie weights (that may be purchased in kitchen stores),  place the pie crust in a 425 degree oven and bake about 20 minutes until just starting to brown.  If you wish to continue baking remove the beans and place back in oven until the crust is finished baking.  Blind baking prevents the sides of the crust from sagging down while baking.  It is used when docking (pricking all over with a fork) is not the preferred method.  Because I was going to bake the crusts again with a liquid filling I didn't want it seeping through any holes a fork would have made.  Pre-baking the pie crusts helps prevent a soggy bottom (the quiche's bottom, not yours).

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩