Whenever I go out for a breakfast or a brunch, I always think about ordering the quiche, but I usually don’t make that selection because I’m usually disappointed.  I’ve had a yen for the perfect slice of quiche, and my son Benji put in the request, so I obliged.

Wow.  I put together a bunch of recipes and came up with this.  The result was quiche heaven. The consistency was creamy but light like a soufflee at the same time!

ingredients:

• 1 Oronique deep dish pie crust (very important to use a deep dish crust.  I have found this crust to be the best tasting.
• 5- 6 oz. swiss cheese, grated by hand (you can substitute gruyere)
• 1 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 extra large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• scant 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• no nutmeg (to me that ruins the recipe!) 
• about 10 -11 oz. crispy bacon, broken into bite sized pieces, not crumbles! (I use Nature’s Promise, which I bake on a foil lined sheet pan at 425 degrees, till crispy, then I drain on paper towels) 

First, take crust out of freezer, use a fork to prick bottom and sides.  Bake for 10 min. at 350 degrees. Take out of oven while you prepare the filling and raise temperature to 375 degrees.

Cook your bacon as described above in list of ingredients. Drain and set aside.

Grate the cheese by hand.

For filling, mix eggs and cream well with a fork.  Add salt and pepper. Place pie crust on a sheet pan lined with foil.

Spread cheese on bottom of crust.  Then spread bacon evenly over cheese.

Ladle the custard over bacon and cheese.  You may not be able to use all the filling because it will overflow, but save it for a few minutes later after the quiche has started to cook.

Begin to bake on middle rack of oven.  After about 15 min., pull oven shelf out with sheet pan carefully and spoon any remaining custard into the quiche.

Bake for about 45 to 55 min. until entire pie is puffed nicely.  Let sit on counter for about 15 min. before serving.

I love quiche, but I don’t often make it because, let’s face it, it’s not exactly healthy.  When I happen to have a frozen pie crust in the freezer, either fresh or frozen asparagus or some mushrooms, some half and half or light cream, and swiss cheese in the fridge, I decide it’s time to treat myself and my daughter Randi, who loves my quiche.  I have these items handy more often now, because I’ve become a real Costco shopper, and I like to buy their fresh asparagus or mushrooms, and their lite gruyere cheese- which is delicious. This morning, I realized I had all the ingredients with about and hour and a half to spare, so I decided it was time to make some quiche.

for one quiche:

• 3 extra large eggs or 3 large eggs plus one egg yolk (or 4 large eggs-3/2011)
• 1 1/2 cups of light cream or half and half –  or 3/4 cup heavy cream plus 3/4 cup whole milk (March 2011, only used about 11/4 cups light cream)
• about 1 pound or a little more fresh asparagus, roasted or 1/2 box of frozen asparagus spears, defrosted
• 1 frozen deep dish pie shell, Oronique is my preference
• 4 – 5 oz.  Swiss or Gruyere cheese ( I like to use lite gruyere or alpine lace, but any swiss is fine)(Used about 1/2 lb. 3-11)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cover sheet pan with aluminum foil.  Cut ends off asparagus spears.  Place on pan.  Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  Drizzle a tablespoon of  light olive oil over, toss asparagus with oil.  Roast for about 20 -25 min. till asparagus is cooked.  Set aside to cool.  Then cut spears into bite sized pieces.  Or defrost 1 16 oz. box of frozen asparagus spears,  pat dry, then cut into bite sized pieces, use about 1/2 of the asparagus or more if you wish for one quiche.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.Take a frozen deep dish pie shell in its aluminum pan and place it in a pyrex pie plate to prevent any mess in the oven.   Prick pie crust all over with fork.  Bake for about 10 min.  Then take out of oven.

In medium bowl, whisk or beat with fork, eggs with cream, add salt and pepper.  Spread asparagus (or mushrooms-see instructions below) over bottom of crust, tear cheese into medium to smallish pieces and place over asparagus, pour egg and cream mixture over.   Place on sheet pan in preheated oven, and bake 45-55 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean, and quiche is nicely puffed and lightly browned.  Serve.

for mushroom quiche:

Saute 10 oz. of sliced white or baby bella mushrooms with or without 1/2 chopped onion, with little kosher salt, papper, optional 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, in 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil or only olive oil till caramelized.

This delectable vegetarian dish is a cross between a frittata, a souffle, a quiche, and a casserole.  The last time I made this delicious dish was when I made my daughter Randi’s bridal shower.  This dish made an incredible hit, and many people asked me for the recipe.  I like to make this because I can do most of the prep work a day in advance, and then it’s a breeze to pop it into the oven.  This is a wonderful dish for a brunch or a family breakfast, or for a special occasion.  You will love this!

• • 1 Tbsp. oil (I use any olive oil for this)
  • 1 large or 2 medium onions, diced
  • 10 oz. mushrooms, sliced, and brushed off or lightly rinsed and dried (use your favorite mushrooms- I usually use white)
  • 9-10 oz. prewashed baby spinach
  • 10 extra large or jumbo eggs
  • 2 cups shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese (about 8-10 oz. -I like to use a combination of the two cheeses, but that isn’t necessary) – then divide your cheese in half
  • 1 cup of half and half
  • Kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • cayenne or red pepper flakes – optional

You can do this part of the prep in advance and then refrigerate until you are ready to bake:

Grease sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 rectangular or oval baking dish with butter or margarine.

Heat oil in large saute pan on medium high until oil is hot.  If you are using crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat, sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of them into the oil.   Add onions; saute 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add mushrooms; saute 5 minutes until the mushrooms are starting to brown a little.  Add about 1 teaspoon salt and about 15-20 grinds of black pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon), and if you are using the cayenne instead of the red pepper flakes, sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon in. Turn off the heat.  Add the spinach, and mix in so that the spinach wilts and turns a darker color.  Spread the onion, spinach, mushroom mixture in the bottom of the greased baking dish; top with half of the shredded cheese.  This can now be covered and put into the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

When you are ready to bake, follow these steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs with half and half in mixing bowl. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon of each).  Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and cheese; top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake 35-40 minutes until eggs are puffed and set and top is lightly browned.  You should not see any liquid from the eggs.  If you do, bake another 5-10 minutes.  If the top isn’t browned, turn the setting in the oven to broil, and cook 1-2 minutes, but watch very carefully so you don’t burn this masterpiece!

Serve immediately!

Note:  You can do all the preparation and then bake this at the same time.  But if you are making this for company, doing the prep work a few hours in advance or the night before takes all the anxiety away.

THIS LOOKS AS BEAUTIFUL AS IT TASTES!

I recently made this for my daughter Randi and her husband, Dan. It was the second time I made it for them. Randi informed me that Dan decided this currently is his favorite dish that I make. This tomato tart is wonderful for a light summer supper- I like to serve it with salad.  This is a totally amazing recipe!!  It tastes like a combination of a pizza and a quiche- and who wouldn’t want to eat that!  My preference is to use the fontina cheese- which has a little more flavor than the mozzarella.  Wow!

**See note below for latest improvement or adjustment I made to recipe.

• 1 frozen, unbaked deep dish pie shell (I use Oronique deep dish, if I can find it)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (I prefer light) (or Wegman’s Basting Oil)
• 6 medium beefsteak tomatoes or 7-9 large Roma tomatoes, cut into chunks (Cut each tomato into about fourths) (I stick with the Roma)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely (or you can use 1 clove or even no garlic if using Wegman’s Basting Oil)
• a little crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided 0r about 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
• a heavy 3 or so cups of grated fontina (about 8 oz.) and the rest- mozzarella cheese (I
• 3 large or extra large eggs
• 2/3 cup whipping, heavy, light cream or half and half (used light cream on July 20, 2011 and combination of light and a little heavy)
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (to sprinkle on top)

On July 20, 2011- I made this. I didn’t have fresh thyme.  What I did have in the house was Wegman’s basting oil- which is amazing stuff.  It has fresh herbs and garlic in it.  So that is the oil I used to roast the tomatoes, and that gave the tomatoes amazing flavor. I used extra fresh thyme.  If you are using this oil, you can either sprinkle the tomatoes with some chopped garlic or not, cause this oil imparts a lot of flavor on its own. If you are using regular extra virgin olive oil, then definitely use some fresh chopped garlic. Before I baked the tart, I sprinkled the top with some dried oregano.  I also added some dried oregano, about 1/2 teaspoon to the custard mixture.  I really liked the result, and I will do this instead of using the fresh thyme next time.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick frozen, unbaked pie shell on sides and bottom. Bake for about 7 minutes. Set aside.

Raise oven temperature to 425 degrees. Line half sheet pan with foil. Sprinkle 1  tablespoon of oil on pan. Place tomato pieces on baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, then some freshly ground pepper, the chopped garlic, and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves- or only the garlic if using the Wegman’s oil. Drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over the tomatoes with some fresh chopped garlic or not- you don’t need to use anything though with this oil.   Toss to coat with the oil. Bake about 1 hour until the tomatoes begin to shrink, look slightly dried, but still are soft. (If you have the time, you can do this at 300 degrees, but it will take about 2 hours.) Set aside.

While tomatoes are roasting, prepare filling. In a medium bowl, mix the cheese, the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves- or the 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, a little salt, some freshly ground pepper, the eggs, and the cream. Stir until well blended. Spread cheese filling into prepared crust. Arrange roasted tomatoes over filling. Sprinkle Parmesan or Romano cheese (and a sprinkling of dried oregano) over top.

Lower oven temp back to 375.  Bake until filling is puffed and set, about 35-40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Serve.

Optional: You can add about 1/3 cup good oil cured black olives and place them between the tomatoes before you bake the tart. (It’s nice for a change, but I actually like the taste of the tart better using only tomatoes, especially in the summer when the tomatoes are so beautiful.

The Combination Of Flavors In This Easy Quiche Is Outstanding! 

I adapted this quiche recipe from a recipe I got years and years ago from my cousin Karen.  Besides being an excellent cook, my cousin is an amazing person.  She is a brilliant doctor with her own practice on Park Avenue in New York City.  She also has many other talents.  Number one, she is a devoted mother of her two amazing twin sons, Matthew and Douglas, and she is a loving daughter and sister.  Plus, she is an accomplished author, and she creates beautiful hand crafted jewelry.  I love spending time with my cousin Karen.  I just don’t get to do it enough!  Karen made this quiche years ago, and I loved it, so of course, I asked her for the recipe.  This quiche is so easy to make, so if you know how to boil water, I think you should try this!

• • 1 deep dish frozen pie crust, such as Oronique
  • 3 ounces French’s fried onion rings (1/2  of a 6 oz. can)
  • 4 to 6 oz. grated or thinly sliced Swiss cheese
  • 3 extra large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half or light cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • a few grinds of freshly cracked black pepper
  • 2 dashes cayenne pepper
  • about 2/3 of a 10 oz. box of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained well

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prick frozen pie shell all around.  Then bake for about 10 minutes; set aside.  Then, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs with half and half or light cream. Add spices to taste.  On the bottom of the pie shell, place 1/2 half of the cheese to cover the bottom of the crust.  Then add the onion rings on top of the cheese.  Next add the spinach to complete the next layer.  Place the remaining cheese over the spinach.  Gently pour the egg and cream mixture over the top cheese layer.  Place the quiche on a half sheet pan and then put in center of oven.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until puffed and golden.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Helpful Hint:  If you have an oven proof glass or ceramic pie plate, I recommend that you place the store made pie shell in  its tin right into your pie plate before you start the baking process.  This will give the quiche extra support, and if some of the custard leaks during the cooking, it will have somewhere to go.

Variation #1:  Instead of spinach, use 10 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms, seasoned with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper,  sauteed in 2 tablespoons of butter.

Variation #2:  Instead of frozen spinach, use 1 10 oz. bag of fresh, triple-washed baby spinach, seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,sauteed in a pan in 2 tablespoons of butter just until it wilts for 1 or 2 minutes.

Variation #3:  Use a combination of the sauteed fresh spinach and the sauteed fresh mushrooms.