Ever heard the phrase "real men don't eat quiche"? Well, it's actually not a phrase, turns out it's a book... BUT STILL, it's false. Real men (and women!) do eat quiche, and it's pretty freaking fantastic.
Quiche is the perfect breakfast-lunch-dinner meal. Craving some eggs? Grab the quiche. Looking for something that's going to fill you up? Get some quiche. Have a bunch of random ingredients hanging in the fridge you need to use up? Make a quiche! It's a magical thing.
There's never a bad time to make one of these, but I usually will whip one up when I'm working a string of night shifts. It's easy to heat up, lasts about a week in the fridge (I love to cook, but when night shift is involved my kitchen is a barren wasteland) and it's good at any time of day.
First thing you'll need is the crust. I admit, I've bought store bought crust before and it's not the worst thing in the world. But if you have time and want that homemade touch, go ahead and make your own.
Crust ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups crisco shortening
2/3 cups cold water
1 egg
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions: In a large bowl combine the first 4 ingredients. Using a pastry cutter, combine ingredients until they become a crumble consistency. Add the egg, apple cider vinegar, and about half the cold water. Roll up those sleeves and get your hands in there to mix it all together. Add the remaining water in small portions as you knead until you have a soft dough.
Your finished product will look something like this...
(If you make the crust dough ahead of time it can be frozen for up to a year!)
Push your dough out into a pie pan or a shallow casserole dish. You can try making the edges pretty, but it doesn't make it taste any better, trust me.
The next part is the fun part, decide on your fillings. A general rule of thumb is one cheese, a protein, and two to three veggies. The picture I have below is cheddar, ham, spinach and tomato quiche...but use your imagination! The possibilities are endless. Whatever you decide on, throw it into your pie shell.
Here are some suggestions for additional filling combos if you need some inspiration...
Summer ingredients: tomato, basil, bacon, mozzerella cheese
Fall ingredients: broccoli, cauliflower, onion, cheddar cheese
Winter ingredients: kale, mushroom, feta cheese
Spring ingredients: asparagus, ham, Gorgonzola cheese
Whip up your eggs next. And by whip, I mean whip. Get those eggs fluffy!
Egg Filling:
6 eggs
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
Salt & pepper to taste
Pour into your pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 65 minutes, or until the middle is firm and a knife comes out clean.
Shout out to Steph and Tiffany for teaching me this recipe and technique. These two ladies hired me to work in their restaurant years ago, and the skills I gained there have made me into the cook I am! Thank you both :)
Happy cooking, happy eating my friends!