Quiche

I just can't say enough good things about quiche. Easy to make and either humble or gourmet; it is a 'fill any niche' dish. I like it hot. I like it cold. Have it for breakfast. Have it for dinner. If you can make a pie crust (or buy one if you can't), then you can make quiche. If you want to make your own crust but aren't sure how, see my Pie Crust 101 post.

One of the things that I really like about quiche is that it is something of a blank slate. There are plenty of filling flavor variations available. Pick and choose your favorite ingredients and make your own personalized quiche. The quiche pictured has broccoli, onions, and ham along with a mixture of cheddar and Gruyere cheeses.

Quiche

1 pastry crust

3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (preferably 2% or whole)
1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups of your favorite grated cheese (see below)
1 TBS flour

1 cup of you favorite cooked fillings (see below)


Since you want to add the filling to a hot crust, prepare the filling before baking the crust.

Mix eggs, milk, and salt (the small amount of salt is plenty here since the cheese is quite salty). Grate the 1 1/2 cups of cheese and toss with the 1 TBS flour. Prepare your chosen fillings. All fillings should be cooked and drained/squeezed dry if necessary; you don't want to end up with a watery quiche. If you choose broccoli, for instance, cook and then squeeze the excess water out of it with your hands. Stir milk mixture, cheese, and fillings together. Set aside.

Line a 9" pie shell with pastry dough. Do not prick crust. Line shell with a double layer of foil and bake at 450 degrees F for 5 minutes. Remove foil liner and bake another 5-8 minutes, or until pie crust is nearly done.

Reduce heat in oven to 325 degrees F. Pour filling into the pie shell and bake for approximately 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Be sure to wait at least 10 minutes before serving or the filling will not hold together very well.

Possible Filling Options:

• onions, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, leeks, scallions
  
• bacon, pancetta, prosciutto, ham, chicken, crab

Possible Cheese Options:

• cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss, Gruyere, provolone, Monterey Jack