Quiche: Its Easier Than You Think. (And its not just for brunch.)

It seems a little pretentious. And difficult. But I promise you, quiche is neither of those things. Its a little bit of elegance very simply added to your day. 

I've been meeting with a group of women recently studying a book called "The Measure of Success" by Carolyn McCulley with Nora Shank. Its about uncovering the biblical perspective on women, work, and the home. There are women from all walks: those who work in their home, those who work in the marketplace, and those who do both. Regardless of WHERE we work, we all work (which means we don't have a lot of time for those "pretentious," time-consuming things). This week before we started we were chatting and I mentioned that I'd made a quiche that night for dinner. One of the gals I was talking to, who works in her home as a mother, seemed surprised that I would make something so difficult on a weeknight. The other gal talking with us (a mother of two) said, "I made quiche tonight too!" The first gal was blown away. We told her that quiche was much simpler than it seemed. And, let's face it, you DO NOT have to make your own pie crust these days (but even making a pie crust is much simpler than it seems, too). And I've heard that kids love quiche.

With that all said, let me show you how simple a quiche really is. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pie Shell (uncooked)*

4-6 Eggs**

1-1 1/2 Cup Milk**

Salt & Pepper

Cheese*** (approximately 1 cup, shredded)

Misc. Fillings**** 

DIRECTIONS:

Mix eggs, milk, salt and pepper with whisk. Place fillings in pie shell, including cheese. Pour egg mixture over filling. Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes or until eggs are set (if you shake the dish slightly, you should not see a lot of movement in the center). The eggs will puff up during cooking, but will settle back down as it cools. Serve warm (not hot).

Well, THAT was simple, wasn't it.

A FEW NOTES:

*Pie shell: You can make your own or buy one pre-made. I've found that the ones in the freezer section (that already come in a pie tin) are actually very good. But don't kid yourself, making a pie shell only takes about five minutes, and you've probably got everything you need in your pantry (flour, shortening/butter, salt, water). I typically use the pastry recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. If you only own one cookbook, this should be it. It contains all of your standard recipes (such as pie crust).

**Depending on how big your pie shell is will determine how much egg you need. Note that you will use approximately equal amounts of egg to milk. For instance, 4-5 eggs is about 1 cup of egg, so you'll use 1 cup milk. If you don't want to "measure" your eggs, use 1 cup of milk for every 4 large eggs (so 1/4 cup milk for every large egg).

***I love cheddar, but my favorite mixture for most quiches is half cheddar half swiss. I'm not usually a fan of swiss cheese, but I love it mixed with cheddar in baked dishes.

****Some suggested fillings:

^Roasted turkey, mushrooms, asparagus, swiss & cheddar

^Bacon, tomato, spinach, swiss & cheddar

^Pork sausage, mushrooms, cheddar

NOTE that all meats should be cooked prior to making the quiche, and 1 pound is a good amount of ground meats, or 2 cups cooked meat (except bacon, don't use that much bacon...). The less filling you have, the more egg you'll use.
ALSO NOTE that ingredients that release a lot of liquids when cooking (mushrooms, tomatoes, etc) do best when thinly sliced and placed on the top of the quiche.

Quiche is actually really good once it has cooled back down a little bit (warm, not hot). And it is definitely good as leftovers. Microwave a slice for 45-60 seconds, let cool a little and enjoy. 

 

Do you have a favorite filling for quiche? Leave it in the comments for others to enjoy!