Food on Fridays: Quiche

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Food on Fridays with Ann

I like flexible, forgiving recipes that are difficult to mess up yet allow for creativity.

Quiches fit that description.

I threw one together the other day. We’ll call it:

Tomato-Bacon Florentine Quiche.

I had a ready-made Pillsbury crust, so that part was easy. Cooked about half a bag of frozen spinach, drained it, and spread it on the bottom.

Diced half a tomato and two leftover pieces of cooked bacon. Tossed those on the spinach.

Pulled out a bag of Kroger Italian-style cheeses, a blend of Mozzarella, provolone, Romano, Parmesan, Fontina and Asiago. Spread about a cup, maybe a cup-and-a-half on top of that.

Then, to make sure I had the liquids fairly balanced, I did a quick search and turned up this “Basic Quiche Recipe” and noted the remaining necessary ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 – 1/2 cups crème fraîche, heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk (I had fat-free half & half)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• dash of nutmeg

The recipe suggested cooking the crust at 400º for 12 minutes and then cooling before adding the filling. But I didn’t do that. The crust, which turned soft and moist instead of firm and crisp, tasted fine to me…but I’ll bet precooking improves the texture.

Anyway, I followed the rest of the instructions:

• Using a whisk, beat together the eggs, creme fraiche (or heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk), and seasonings. Whisk just until mixed.
• Pour the egg mixture on top of the quiche crust and place in 375°F oven for 40 minutes, or just until the eggs are set (the quiche will continue to cook some after you remove it from the oven, so be sure not to over cook it). The quiche will puff up and turn a nice golden brown on top.
• Cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

Here’s how mine looked after I poured the egg-milk mixture on top and stuck it in the oven.

Here’s how it turned out:

And here’s the entire Basic Quiche Recipe that I referenced:

• 1 pie crust
• 2 cups filling
• 4 eggs
• 1 – 1/2 cups crème fraîche, heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• dash of nutmeg

Fit the crust to a tart or pie pan, then prick the bottom all over with a fork. Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes or longer, then bake in a 400°F oven for 12 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients.

Prepare the filling ingredients. Vegetables should be blanched to tenderize them and meat or seafood should be cooked. Cheese should be shredded or diced.

Layer the ingredients in the cooled quiche crust, starting with the meat or vegetables, then adding the cheese.

Using a whisk, beat together the eggs, creme fraiche (or heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk), and seasonings. Whisk just until mixed.

Pour the egg mixture on top of the quiche crust and place in 375°F oven for 40 minutes, or just until the eggs are set (the quiche will continue to cook some after you remove it from the oven, so be sure not to over cook it). The quiche will puff up and turn a nice golden brown on top.

Cool for 10 minutes, then serve.

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