Best Ever Pie Crust - Donna Diegel
Caramelized onions, crisp bacon, roasted red peppers, asparagus and gruyere suspended in a savory custard, all baked in a flaky pie crust. Lots of great quiche ideas.
Quick and Easy Basic Quiche
Serve as a main dish with a salad and crusty French Bread, or brunch size mini-quiche for a bridal shower. As long as you follow the basic custard recipe and technique, what you add to it is up to you. The combinations are as endless as your imagination and what you have in your fridge. Make a leftover quiche for supper some night! Have a couple extra pie crusts in your freezer and you're good to go any time. Make an extra quiche, they freeze well. It's just that easy!
Tips, Tools and Technique:
- Cream: Heavy cream tastes richer, but this recipe can be made with half & half, whole milk, 1% milk and even soy milk. It will change the taste and texture a bit.
- Cheese: Experiment a little and try different tastes and textures. Don't use Limberger!
- Fillings: Just about anything will do as long as you like it! Don't go overboard. You need to have a good ratio of custard to meat and veggies to hold the quiche together. Meats and seafood need to be cooked first. Use fresh herbs and spices for variety.
- Pie Pans: Use a deep dish pie pan. The higher the sides the better. This quiche can even be made in a casserole dish or jelly roll pan, as long as the crust is high enough to hold the liquid in. Mini muffin pans are the perfect size for a brunch.
- Mixer: Any hand mixer or high-speed KitchenAid mixer will work as long as you get the eggs and cream whipped up good.
- Freezing: Make two as this quiche freezes well. Double wrap first.
Basic Classic Quiche Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1) 9" unbaked Best Ever Pie Crust
- 1 cup shredded cheese, your choice
- 1-1 1/2 cups of whatever you can dream up, or see suggestions below
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream or half & half
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp nutmeg, ground
Directions:
- See recipe for directions and technique on how to make the Best Ever Pie Crust.
- Sprinkle cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust.
- Place veggies, meats and other additions on top of the cheese.
- Whisk together eggs, cream, salt and nutmeg in a medium size mixing bowl on medium speed.
- Carefully pour cream on top of veggies, etc.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
- Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Refrigerate leftovers.
- Serves 6-8.
- Serve with salad and a bowl of French Onion Soup for a 3 course meal.
Great Quiche Recipe Ideas:
- Classic Quiche Lorraine; crisp bacon, sauteed onions and swiss cheese.
- Crab or Lobster and Swiss Quiche; cooked crabmeat or lobster, onions, swiss and Old Bay Seasoning.
- Ham and Cheese Quiche; cooked, diced ham, onions and cheddar cheese.
- Vegetarian Quiche; garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheddar and fresh herbs.
- Spinach, Garlic and Feta Quiche; squeezed spinach, garlic and onions, crumbled feta and fresh herbs.
- Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche; steamed broccoli, onions and garlic, cheddar cheese, fresh herbs and seasoned salt.
- Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Quiche; chopped and drained sun-dried tomatoes, sliced kalamata olives, onions and garlic, provolone cheese and fresh basil.
- Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper and Gruyere Quiche; steamed asparagus, roasted red peppers, onions, gruyere and fresh dill.
- Chicken and Cheese Quiche; cooked and diced chicken, onions and garlic, cheddar and poultry seasoning.
Variations:
- Low-fat: Substitute 1% milk for the half-and-half.
- Low Cholesterol: Substitute Egg-Beaters for the whole eggs.
- Dairy Free: Use soy milk in place of the half-and-half.
For more appetizers and brunch ideas try these recipes:
Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Copyright Donna Diegel. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Donna Diegel - Donna Diegel is an experienced baker and published author with more than 25 years of experience in the food industry.
