As a home-cook, the recipes that I turn to most often are the ones that are simple to make and can vary according to the ingredients that I have. I often find that I have little of this or a little of that needing to be used when menu planning and Quiche is a wonderful solution.
As with many things, a homemade piecrust is going to make this dish even more delicious but it is something that is easily shortcutted (with no judgment) by using premade crust.
For this quiche, my supporting ingredients are bacon and fresh parsley because, quite frankly, the bacon in my fridge was calling to me and I have a ton of flat-leaf parsley in my garden right now that I needed to cut. I think it’s also important to note that while the recipe only calls for 6 oz of cooked bacon, I started with the entire 12 oz package of center cut bacon, which rendered off approximately 2.5 oz of fat, and then I munched on the rest while I was cooking (I admittedly had a little bit of help with this from my 2 pugs). Feel free to cook only what you need if you have that kind of willpower!
Crust Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Roll out the crust or unroll the ready-made pie crust and place it in a pie plate, making sure that the dough is pushed flat against the bottom and sides of the dish, without stretching it (if you do this, it will snap back during baking, and will make things difficult).
Crimp the edges of the crust either by pushing flat with a fork or by crimping, using your index, middle fingers, and thumb. Instead of using pie weights to keep the crust from bubbling, I use a little bit of nonstick cooking spray on foil and gently mold it against the crust to inhibit bubbles (then I reuse it under my quiche while baking and then again to cover any leftovers).
Bake for 9 minutes; then remove the foil and allow crust to cool a bit.
Reduce oven to 350 while you mix up your quiche.
Ingredients for the Quiche:
8 large eggs
1/4 c milk (you can use anything from skim to half and half)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
8 oz grated cheese (I used swiss here, however if you use a softer cheese, like goat cheese, just break it into small pieces)
Optional Ingredients:
6 oz of cooked filling. I obviously used bacon here, but breakfast sausage works well, leftover diced roasted vegetables, sautéed shallots & mushrooms, diced ham, really just about anything goes well with eggs and cheese)
2Tbsp of finely chopped fresh herbs (I use parsley here, but I often use chives, tarragon is nice too)
How I make it:
* Whisk together eggs, milk, and seasoning until fully combined and some bubbles form
* Add fresh herbs and mix well.
* Mix approximately 2/3 of your filling with the cheese and distribute evenly in cooked piecrust.
* Pour over egg mixture, slowly.
* Top with additional filling
* Bake 30-35 minutes until egg is completely set in the center
Allow your work of art to sit for 5 to 10 minutes to set before you cut and serve.
Remember the whole point of this is to be creative and try different combinations to find what you like best and to think quiche when you have a few ounces of leftovers that can be transformed into an entirely new meal. Happy Eating!
