Tag: quiche

Pancetta & Leek Quiche

I know, I can’t stop posting about quiches and tarts and things that are technically veggie oriented but are really just carbo-loaded vehicles for cheese consumption.  Guilty as charged.

On the other hand, when the Husband told me this was “the best ever,” obvi it’s going on the blog.  Sorry I’m not sorry.

IMG_3278
how does this end up looking like a pizza?!

Pancetta & Leek Quiche

  • 1 premade pie dough, brought to room temperature
  • about 4 oz diced pancetta
  • 4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
  • salt, pepper, crushed red pepper
  • about 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup or so heavy cream (or milk, or half and half, or whatever you have)
  • about 8 oz shredded Gruyere
  • optional: handful cherry tomatoes, halved, chopped green onions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Unroll the pie dough and press into a pie plate.  Prick lightly with a fork and bake for about 5-6 minutes, just to get the color nice and light golden.  Bonus if you can use a  crust protector.
  2. In a saute pan, over medium high heat, cook the pancetta until it starts to crisp up.  Reduce heat to medium low, and in that nice bacon-y fat, add your sliced leeks.  (Note: it will look like a LOT of leeks.  Don’t worry – they’ll all fit!).  Add salt, pepper, crushed reds, and parsley and let the leeks cook down a good while – about 10-12 minutes, until they’re nice and translucent.
  3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whip together eggs, cream, and a pinch of salt/pepper/crushed reds.
  4. In your (lightly) baked pie dough, spread the bacon and leek mixture evenly.  Top with a generous amount of cheese, and then carefully pour the egg/cream mix over the top.  Top, as desired, with cherry tomatoes for an extra pop of color.
  5. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is nice and golden, and the eggs are cooked all the way through.  Top with additional parsley and serve with a side salad.
IMG_3281
less pizza, more leek.

The Verdict:

I think we already established the Husband’s verdict.  As for me, any day I get to use the crust protector, that’s a good day.

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The Thing(s) About Quiche

This is the thing about quiche.  (Yes, there is at least a thing or two about quiche.)  People are impressed by quiche.  People think you are a very fancy cook indeed, if you can make quiche. I am (obviously, to those of you who have been following along) not a fancy cook.  But I can make quiche – and so can you.  In fact, I’m going to go ahead and say that another thing about quiche is that it is one of the easiest dinners you can make.  And it is endlessly variable, so you will never be bored by quiche.  Tonight, I make a few tweaks to a quiche I made a few weeks ago, with equally tasty results.

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

  • 1 store-bought pie crust, brought to room temperature
  • olive oil
  • 3/4 red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 bag broccoli florets
  • 1 cup or so light cream
  • 1 cup or so shredded cheddar
  • 4 eggs
  • salt, pepper & crushed red pepper (pretty much a staple around here)
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Unroll the pie dough and press into a pie plate. Because it is a filled pie, no need to pre-bake or prick with a fork.
  3. Microwave (I know! So not fancy!) your broccoli florets in the bag for about 2-3 minutes.  Note: This will make your broccoli a bit more like the consistency of the rest of the quiche – if you like your broccoli crunchy, skip this step.
  4. In a large skillet, heat the oil, and then cook the onions until translucent.  Toss in the broccoli; add some pepper and some crushed red pepper, if you’re into the heat.
  5. In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and about a cup of light cream (again, you can pretty much use any dairy just to fluff up the eggs a bit).  Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Pour the veggies mixture into the pie crust and spread evenly.  Pour the egg and cream mixture over the veggies; spread evenly.
  7. Top with a generous handful of shredded cheddar; make sure to press at least some of it into the mixture below.
  8. Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked all the way through. Feel happy you get to use your crust shield! (Goodness I love this thing.)
  9. Serve with a side salad.
i'm so fancy...
i’m so fancy…

The Verdict: YUM.

Winging It: Wild Mushroom & Shallot Quiche

After an amazing weekend with (both sets of) parents, I had a glorious day off for Columbus Day.  I had big plans: catching up on bills, cleaning the house, doing laundry, switching out the fall clothes, grocery shopping, hitting the gym and of course, cooking.  Instead, I watched all eight episodes of Outlander (thanks, Mom).  And then I did a few things on the list, namely, grocery shop and cook dinner.  What follows is the first time I think I’ve ever baked anything without at least loosely following a recipe.  And it was good!

Wild Mushroom & Shallot Quiche

  • 1 store-bought pie crust, brought to room temperature
  • olive oil
  • 2 shallots, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
  • 2 cartons mushrooms, sliced (I used a mix of wild mushrooms and baby bellas)
  • 1 cup or so light cream
  • 1 cup or so shredded gruyere
  • 3 eggs
  • salt, pepper & of course, crushed red pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Unroll the pie dough and press into a pie plate (I used one with the bottom that slides up and out); discard excess dough.  Because it is a filled pie, no need to pre-bake or prick with a fork (more on that later).
  3. In a large skillet, heat the oil, and then cook the onions and shallots down, until translucent.  Mix in the mushrooms and cook those down, as well.  Add some pepper and some crushed red pepper, if you’re into the heat.
  4. On the side, lightly beat together three eggs and about a cup of light cream (really, anything with at least a little bit of fat will do – whole milk, half and half, etc.  Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Pour the cooked mushroom, shallot and onion mix into the pie crust and spread evenly.  Pour the egg and cream mixture over the mushrooms; spread evenly.
  6. Top with a generous handful of shredded gruyere; make sure to press at least some of it into the mixture below.
  7. Bake at 375 for about 30-35 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked all the way through.  (Note: depending on how much crust is showing, you may want to place aluminum foil strips or a pie crust protector over the edges, so they do not burn.)
  8. Serve with a light salad!
look, ma, no recipe!
look, ma, no recipe!

The Verdict: I’m pretty pleased with myself, another go-to!  This was delicious, and the leftovers will keep for lunch.  And there are almost endless variations to this – swap in and out various vegetables, or add bacon or pancetta, truly an expansive range of possibilities.  The Husband, despite not liking eggs, also declared it tasty – though he did comment the crust at the bottom was a little soggy in places.  I wonder if this is because the mushrooms let out a bit of moisture as they cooked down further?  Would I have done well to pre-bake or prick the crust, even just a bit?  Welcome feedback from more experienced chefs!