I have a love for quiche lately. It’s fresh. It’s hearty. It’s just plain delicious. As I make a quiche, I find myself singing the theme song from “Grease,” thus the corny post title. Sorry. It’s bad, I know.
My love for making quiche came from my friend, Sara. She makes a mean quiche. She makes a lot of yummy things, but her quiche always stands out. She also irons her sheets. Sara is a home keeping rock star!
I’m so happy she shared her basic recipe with me back in the Fall. I have made it a dozen times since then. Before, I always stayed away from making my own quiches. They were always too watery or too dense. When I use Sara’s recipe, they turn out just right. This week I made two quiches to take to my friend, Ann, who just had a baby. Today, I’ll tell you all about the Spinach and Red Pepper Quiche.
It all starts with a crust. I don’t always like to make one from scratch, but I love eating a homemade crust. So, lately I have been making my own. If I don’t make my own, then I usually buy the Organic Wholly Wholesome frozen pie shells. They are really tasty, convenient and not full of junk.
For a homemade crust, I follow this recipe and technique almost to the letter. It works and I have always had good luck making a flaky and tasty crust. If something works, I don’t usually go messing it up by trying to put my own spin on it, especially when it comes to baking. I don’t mess around with baking. I follow most baking recipes to the letter. Now, when I am cooking, not so much. I can’t ever seem to follow a recipe. I have to leave something out or throw something extra in. It’s just my nature.
Back to that crust. Get a stick of butter and cut it into pieces. Then pop it into the freezer for a little while. You want that butter nice and cold. Mix flour, salt and a pinch of sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Fill a small glass with ice water.
Pulse the flour mixture a few times just to mix things up. Then, add half of the butter and pulse 6-8 times. Add the rest of the butter and pulse again 6-8 times. You want a mixture that looks coarse. Next, add 1-2 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse a few times. Add a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each, just until things start to look like they are combining. You still want a coarse mix. Refer to the crust recipe I linked above on the steps to take next so that you can arrive at….
a nicely rolled crust. If I am thinking ahead, I will make several crusts and put them in the freezer. It’s nice to have one on hand for a quick pie or quiche. After rolling out, place the crust into your pie plate. Cut off the excess crust and crimp it with a fork.
At this point you can blind bake the crust or not. I chose to blind bake it this time, but I don’t usually. Honestly, I couldn’t tell a huge difference.
Here’s the easiest part, the quiche filling.
The basic recipe calls for 4-6 eggs, 3 cups of shredded cheese and 1 cup of whipping cream. Season with salt and pepper. You can add about 2 cups of veggies or meat, too. In this quiche I used spinach, sauteed red pepper and provolone cheese. Mix up the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. Add the veggies and cheese to the pan on top of the crust.
Pour the egg mixture over the veggies.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes.
The result is a yummy, savory dish. You can eat it hot or room temperature. You can eat for dinner or breakfast or lunch. It’s a really great anytime recipe.
- 1 1/4 cups of flour, I like both AP and White Whole Wheat or a mixture of the two
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- pinch of sugar
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter
Ingredients for filling
- Approx. 2 cups of veggies or pre-cooked meat
- 4-6 eggs, I usually use 5
- 1 cup whipping cream or whole milk
- salt and pepper to taste, approximately 1/2 teaspoon of each
- 3 cups of shredded cheese
Enjoy!
