The quiche I made for dinner this week was a momentous occasion for me --- it was the first time I actually made my own pie crust. It was a cheater version that you don't have to roll, so it came out a little crumbly, but it was still better than store bought. Now I never have to avoid making quiche again.
No pictures, I'm afraid. I ate the quiche too quickly. If you need to know, I made it with chopped up turkey breast cold cuts and Herbes de Provence.
I have a basic quiche recipe that I improv with that has my preferred proportions. With this recipe, you end up with a creamy, custardy quiche.
Basic Quiche Improvisation
1 open pie crust for a 9-inch pie
2 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of grated or crumbled cheese (like Parmesan)
1/4 teaspoon spice, like cayenne pepper or whatever looks good (optional)
black pepper to taste (you can leave this out if you want)
pinch of salt (optional -- if you're using deli meat or canned salmon, it's unnecessary)
1 teaspoon dried herbs (dill, Herbes de Provence, thyme or anything else you feel)
improvise the rest:
About 6 oz of chopped cooked meat (like deli cold cuts) or fish (like cooked salmon or crab)
2 sliced roma tomatoes
1) prebake the pie crust until light blonde, according to directions. when the pie crust is finished, set the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
2) beat the eggs in a large bowl. add the half and half, herbs and spices and mix well.
3) prepare the meat or fish: if you're using deli meat or bacon make sure the pieces are minced. if you're using salmon, flake the fish well. add to the filling mixture and mix well.
4) fill the pie crust with the egg mixture, and spread the filling evenly around the pie.
5) optional step: slice the roma tomatoes crosswise and arrange the slices on top of the egg mixture. you can also use onion rings or chives or whatever. Or leave this step out and it's still good.
6) bake the quiche for 30 to 35 minutes or until the egg mixture starts to get brown. The center will look like it's just starting to set. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes, or better yet, an hour, if you can stand to wait. Best served cold or room temperature.
To get this recipe, I modified a recipe that originally called for 1 cup heavy whipping cream instead of half and half. But I found the whipping cream would leave an oil slick on top of the quiche. Half and half keeps the custard texture, while reducing the oil. I think some fat may be necessary for the texture. I once tried it with fat-free evaporated milk and ended up with scrambled egg pie.
And you might want the crust recipe, too:
Easy Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cold milk or other cold liquid
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Place dry ingredients in 9-inch pie pan. Stir together with fork until well-blended.
3) Pour oil and milk in the pie pan and stir everything together with the fork. Pat mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pan. Poke holes in bottom and side of crust.
4) Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown.
Time to read
5 years ago
6 comments:
I like making quiche - it's good stuff! I either make the filling out of spinach and dill, or basil and tomato.
My crusts always come out crappy though, so I tend to buy them from whole foods (no lard). I'm going to make a quiche tomorrow, all inspired by your recipe, and i'm going to try your crust.
Update:
I made quiche tonight. This crust didn't come out that well either. I did the patting and the forking, but it came out like all the others. I think I'm missing the crust gene or something.
Yum! I'm adopting this recipe and will try it out next weekend. I'm not ambitious enough to tackle the crust, though. Store bought is fine by me.
Another suggestion -- when I was a kid, my mother used to make the crusts for vegetable pies out of crescent rolls put in the bottom of a pie plate or a 9x9 pyrex. Put them in the plate, spread a little dijon mustard over them, add sauteed zucchini and onion, pour over a mixture of beaten eggs and shredded mozzarella, and bake. Yum. The crust wasn't really crispy but it sure was tasty.
Sorry the pie crust didn't turn out for you, Michelle. Pie crust makes me wonder where the phrase "easy a pie" came from. Must be from the eating of it.
It could be that I'm not that picky about my crust -- that is, that I prefer the homemade-ness of it rather than its texture, which as I said, is crumbly and not at all flaky. It's crumbly like a cookie, actually, which could put some people off.
Why is Michelle anonymous? Is she hiding from the mob?
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