I
like the Pillsbury pie crusts that are in the refrigerated section,
usually near the butter or cheese. Frozen pie crusts are often too sweet
for me.| Hint: Make
your own pie crust, if you like, but I find the pre-made crusts work
quite well. I
like the Pillsbury pie crusts that are in the refrigerated section,
usually near the butter or cheese. Frozen pie crusts are often too sweet
for me. |
4
oz bacon, ham or prosciutto
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1/3 teaspoon seasoned salt
black pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced onion
Fistful baby spinach
1/4 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
(other ingredient ideas below)
Let your pie crust come to room temperature so it won't crack when you work with it.
Cook your bacon (after you cut it into 1/2 inch strips--freeze it for 15 minutes first to make it easier to slice) and drain. Diced ham works well, too. I also like the diced prosciutto they sell at Trader Joe's. Very easy, and tasty.
After you cook the bacon, get rid of the bacon grease, but leave a tablespoon in the pan to lightly cook the onion for a few minutes, then add the red pepper and spinach for a couple more minutes. You may add some garlic too, if you like. Season the vegetables lightly with seasoned salt. Set aside to cool.
Make the custard, which is just eggs and cream gently whisked together. (You may substitute half and half, but it may take longer to cook.) Add the seasoned salt and black pepper. Taste the mixture for salt and adjust to taste, remembering that the bacon will add salt. You may leave the custard mixture out on the counter for up to 1/2 hour, the quiche will cook faster if the custard isn't cold.
Spread the crust in a pie plate, crimping over the edges to clean them up. Sprinkle the bacon in the bottom. Drain the vegetables (excess water is bad for quiche) and add them. Add the cheese, and then pour the custard mixture over everything.
Back in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until the center stops jiggling when the quiche is moved, and the top is golden.
Ideas for Preparing Quiche in Advance
Quiche do well if you make them a day or two in advance and warm them in the oven for service. Just cool them on a rack for an hour before covering them with foil and refrigerating.
I haven't frozen a cooked quiche, but it may work fine. Let me know.
Another option: prep all the ingredients in advance, and just dump them in the crust to bake an hour or two before you want to serve. That way, the quiche (and you) can rest before serving.
Other Ingredients
I really like mushrooms. Just be sure to cook them first. Mushrooms give off a lot of water when they cook, which will ruin your custard.
Finely sliced shallots are nice if you sprinkle them on the top of the custard before cooking. They will crisp up a bit on top.
Change the cheeses to suit your taste, or use what's on hand.
Cheddar is good.
Swiss is the most traditional.
I've found asiago to be real nice.
Goat cheese would be great, maybe with basil and some slice of tomato on top.
Use leftovers. Diced chicken, sausage, cooked vegetables, whatever. Just remember that ingredients won't really cook in the quiche, so the need to be pre-cooked.
One other note: The egg-to-cream ratio is very flexible. If you look at different quiche recipes, you'll find some calling for milk, others for no milk or cream at all. Some are almost all cream, with only a few eggs. If you go heavy on the cream, you'll get more of a custardy consistency, more like crème brulee. More eggs will give you an omelet consistency.