Thursday, August 7, 2014

Quiche Conquering Day

Happy Thursday!  I know it's been pretty quiet here this summer, but I made something pretty yummy today and thought it was worthy of sharing, if only because I'm so proud that I finally figure this one out.  Quiche.  I know, so simple, right?  Well, while that might be true I have never been able to make it myself and it's one of my favorite foods, so today was a big day in the Franklin house!  

If I'm being honest, which I always am, I have to admit that quiche totally intimidates me, and yet I find it so enticing.  It's buttery, flaky crust combined with cheesy, flavorful filling, how can you go wrong?  Well, I did.  Over and over again; until today!  Now, I will also admit that I used a pre-made crust because I had one in the freezer and I figured I would tackle this one step at a time.  I feel like next time I could try and make my own dough.  Anyway, on to the recipe.  

I based my recipe on my old standby-Mark Bittman, but I added the mushrooms.  

You need:

1 deep dish pie crust (I had a bunch of filling left over and happened to have fillo cups in my freezer, so I made 24 mini quiches as well)
6 eggs
2 cups of milk, cream or a combo (I used 1.5 c 2% milk and .5 c cream)
2 c. shredded cheese (I used white cheddar)
1 c. chopped mushrooms (I used a mix of button and baby bellas)
2 Tbsp. chopped herbs (chives and parsley for me)
good pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
little butter or olive oil for cooking the mushrooms

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees and when it's ready, bake your crust for about 15 minutes.  While that's baking, get out your eggs and let them come to room temp. Heat a med. skillet to medium heat with a little olive oil or butter (I like a little of both) and then add your chopped mushrooms.  Let them cook until they are brown and tender.  Don't forget that mushrooms go through a dry phrase, so don't add more oil or butter, be patient!  Then salt and pepper them and set them aside.  Heat your milk just until it starts to steam and then start mixing all of your ingredients together except the mushrooms. 

Take the crust out of the oven, whisk your eggs together and slowly add the warm milk.  Do that slowly, a little a time to start so you don't accidentally scramble your eggs (temper them).  Add the cheese, herbs, and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees, put the mushrooms in the bottom of your crust and pour the filling over top.  Put this in the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes (it actually took mine 40, but keep an eye on it).I am not sure if my crust wasn't deep dish, or I just didn't account for the extra space the mushrooms took up, but I had a good bit of filling left over.  So, I pulled out my fillo cups, popped 24 of them in a mini muffin pan, and filled them with the leftover filling (no mushrooms.)  When there are 30 minutes left on the time, add the mini quiches.  

Serve either of these or both warm from the oven or at room temperature.  I ate mine for brunch today with my kale and watermelon salad.  I made a few changes this time, just using kale, watermelon, and hazelnuts, and made the dressing with a little lemon juice, champagne vinegar, olive oil, and a little watermelon juice, salt, and pepper.  It may have been even better!  Oh, and I did a chiffonade of the kale (cut into little ribbons) to make it easier to eat. Even better, the kale came from my garden.  So good!

What is your favorite kind of quiche?



2 comments:

  1. Mmmm. I like quiche, too! Bacon or ham, broccoli, and of course lots of cheese!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmm, I was thinking about doing pancetta with something... but bacon or ham could be good, too!

      Delete