Quiche

"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!"   ~Julia Child (My Life in France)


I know, I know, 2 food posts in a row.  But I made quiche this morning and since it's one of my favorite things, I had to blog about it.  I started making quiche when I was pregnant with Mark.  I'm not good about making breakfast but since quiche is great as left-overs, it works perfect for something you can make the day before and reheat when you're ready.  I had gestational diabetes while I was pregnant (I'm pretty sure that's the only time you can have gestational diabetes) and found that quiche didn't affect my blood sugar a great deal.  So that's good news too.  You can make quiche with whatever you have on hand.  There aren't very many rules.  It freezes well, reheats beautifully and tastes great. 

The recipe below is how I made the quiche this morning but, as you will see, you can use whatever you have on hand to make your own version.

Quiche

The Essentials
1 9" pie shell
3 whole eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or milk or a combo thereof

The Options
9-10 strips of bacon
4 Crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 handfuls of fresh spinach

Bake your pie crust as you would for a 1 crust pie.  While I know how to make pie crust, I used a frozen one this morning.  (I'm aware that there are those who say that only a lazy slut uses frozen pie crust and I'm okay with that.)  I baked my frozen pie crust on a cookie sheet for 9 minutes at 400 degrees because that's what it said to do on the package.

While the pie crust was baking, I cut the bacon into lardons (that's a fancy French word that means "small pieces") and crisped it.  I then removed the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon and let it sit on a plate lined with paper towels.  I sauted my sliced mushrooms in the bacon fat.  (Don't you just love bacon?  Really, who doesn't?  I'm pretty sure even vegetarians like bacon - and if they say they don't, they're probably lying.)

In a big bowl, I mixed together the eggs and whipping cream.  I gave them a whisk or two to show them who was boss.  A note on the dairy piece of this: most quiche recipes call for whipping cream but you can use milk instead.  Or you can use part milk and part whipping cream - just so the total amount is 1 1/2 cups.  The quiche will set up fastest with all whipping cream.  A little extra baking time will be required if you use all milk or add milk to your whipping cream.

I added the crisped bacon, sauteed mushrooms, cheeses and spinach to the eggs and whipping cream.    I stirred until all the ingredients were all combined and poured them into my cooked pie shell.  It was VERY full - which is why it's important to put the pie shell on a cookie sheet when you're baking this.

I baked the whole thing at 350 degrees for 45 minutes - or until it was set in the middle.  You don't want any jiggle.  Like I said before, if  you're using milk instead of whipping cream, it may need extra baking time.  I took it out of the oven and let it sit for at least 25 minutes before cutting it.  Here's a picture of it sitting on the world's oldest cookie sheet:

I ate a piece, covered the rest with foil and put it in the fridge.  Leftovers are super easy - cut yourself a piece and nuke it for 44 seconds or until warm through.

Options: Quiche is extremely versatile.  If you don't have bacon, you can use whatever you have on hand - leftover ham, chicken, steak etc.  Or leave the meat out competely.  Change up the cheeses.  My Mom likes pepper jack in quiche.  I've found that where quiche is concerned it matters very little if you use parmesan from a green can as opposed to the real stuff.  Leftover veggies like asparagus and broccoli work well.  If you're going to use frozen spinach, make sure you thaw it and squeeze ALL the water out before adding it. 

Freezing: Sometimes I make up 2 quiches at once and freeze one.  I wrap the whole thing in foil, stick it in a gallon freezer bag and pop it in the freezer.  When you take the frozen quiche out of the freezer, you want to let it thaw in the fridge and then reheat initially in the oven.  Approx 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until it's warm through.  Reheating in the oven will recrisp the pie crust.  If you just thaw and reheat it in the microwave, you'll have a soggy crust.  (After you reheat in the oven once, the leftovers can be microwaved.)

There are 1000's of different ways you can make quiche.  Go crazy.  Experiment.  Report back with your results.