quiche...it's what's for dinner

When I don’t quite know what I want to cook for dinner, I sometimes turn to eggs, making a simple omelet, or a quiche.  Last night, I had some cream and milk I wanted to use, as well as bacon and onions in the refrigerator, so I decided on a classic quiche Lorraine, served with an easy salad on the side.  I had cream cheese on hand as well, so I made a tender crust--the recipe is the same as the one here, minus the sugar.  Even easier--buy a frozen crust at the grocery.  I like to keep a couple in the freezer for when I don’t feel like making pie dough from scratch.

Quiche is a wonderful blank slate for using odds and ends in the refrigerator.  One can use various bits of vegetables, and small amounts of several different cheeses.  Broccoli and cheddar is a good combination, as is ham, Swiss, and asparagus.  Red bell pepper, goat cheese, and arugula make a fine combination.  Consider mushrooms, cooked leftover chicken, and spinach, with feta.  Whatever vegetables you decide to use, just be sure to cut them small and sauté them until they are crisp/tender, and have given up a good deal of their moisture, so the quiche isn’t watery.

 bacon crisps, then the onions cook in the rendered fat

I blind bake the crust in a 375⁰ oven for about 15 minutes to prevent it from becoming soggy once the egg mixture is added.  I usually use dried beans to weight the crust.  Pie weights will work if you have them.  If you don’t have either, just “dock” the crust with a fork (poke several holes in it) and when you take it out of the oven, deflate any risen areas with a fork.  Scatter your ingredients across the bottom of the crust, and pour in the egg custard mixture.   It is a good idea to place the pie plate on a cookie sheet to catch any run-over and save yourself the hassle of cleaning the oven.

 a simple whisk job makes a wonderful filling

Quiche Lorraine

(makes enough for 1 nine inch pie crust)

4 strips bacon, cut into ¼ inch lardons

½ medium onion, cut pole-to-pole in ¼-inch strips

½ cup milk

½ cup cream

4 eggs

1 cup guyere cheese

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Heat the oven to 375⁰.  Bake the crust, using beans or pie weights, for about 15 minutes.  While the crust is baking, sauté the bacon until crisp.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and sauté the onions in the bacon fat until they are light brown and wilted.  Combine the milk, cream, eggs, cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and whisk until thoroughly combined.  Sprinkle the bacon and onions over the bottom of the crust, and pour over the egg mixture.  Bake the quiche for about 30 minutes, or until the egg is set and the top golden brown.

 puffy, golden deliciousness

a thin, crispy version of quiche with lightly dressed salad 
on the side