Monday, March 26, 2007

Quick Quiche

Who started the rumor that quiche is difficult to make?

Actually, it was recently suggested that confusion between quiche and soufflé might be where this rumor has its roots. Well, I am here to set the record straight.

Quiche is one of the easiest, most delicious dishes out there. The base of egg and cheese is open to so many variations it would be impossible to count. Fillings can be anywhere from bacon to broccoli, ham to mushrooms. (I’ve been contemplating a sausage quiche for a while now.)

I used to make quiche often when I lived in Charleston. However, one thing quiche does not do well is keep; this is a dish much better served fresh. As such, I haven’t made a single quiche since I moved to DC. I certainly won’t eat an entire pie by myself and for one reason or another when I have cooked for others over the last year, quiche has never been the dish of choice.

Sunday night we had some friends over for dinner, one of whom is a vegetarian. I had made my mac & cheese last time they came over, so this seemed the perfect opportunity for quiche at last!

Recipe:

6 eggs (preferably room temperature)
2 cups of whole milk or heavier
2 cups grated cheese (any mild white cheese will do)
Your favorite seasonings and fillers.
Pie crust (store bought works just fine)

Beat eggs together with the milk. I use whole milk usually, but you can use anything from whole to heavy cream. (Oddly I have found that the heavier the milk/cream, the less cohesive the end product is.) Once the eggs and milk are completely mixed, add in the cheese a little bit at a time so it doesn’t all clump together. Sometimes I use Gruyere cheese, other times I use Emmanthaler- depends on my mood. Any mild white cheese will do- even plain old Swiss. You can season the mix with whatever you feel is appropriate; I have used salt, rosemary and tarragon in the past. After that, pick a few handfuls of your favorite filler (my absolute favorite is bacon) and pour the whole mix into a pie crust. Bake at 450 degrees until the top turns a golden brown and the mixture is no longer loose. Serve immediately. Yum.

1 comment:

Mel said...

Is this your treasured quiche? Thanks for the recipe, but I am going to hold you to the promise that you'll cook it FOR us. hee hee hee