So have been making quiche at least once a week for the last month or two, and I think my husband has had enough. For some reason I can’t get enough of it. It’s fast, easy and relatively healthy. The only downside is using the oven when it’s so hot outside.
I modified this Quiche recipe from the Fanny Farmer cook book.
1 cup cooked spinach or 10 slices bacon
4 eggs
2 cups light cream
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 and ¼ cups cheese
1 partially baked Tart Pastry
I use whole milk instead of cream, but I’ve also made it with Skim without a problem. I love making it with spinach, onion and cheddar cheese. I don’t even precook the veggies, though the recipe recommends it. In my case the spinach was frozen but if I’d had fresh available from my garden I would have used it. The onion also came from my freezer, but it wasn’t a “frozen” onion. I bought a bag of onions last fall and froze them so they wouldn’t go bad. I periodically thaw one to use in a soup or stew. The veggies are definitely better when cooked, but if you are in a hurry it won’t hurt if the onions are a little less cooked. This is a great recipe to play around with. Try varying the veggies or other ingredients along with the kinds of cheese.
I use a recipe for buttermilk pie crust instead of the tart pastry, this is cheaper and much healthier than store bought pie crust and probably healthier than a standard homemade (though admittedly I’ve never attempted one). I modify the recipe slightly by using half as much salt, otherwise the crust is far too salty in my opinion.
1 ½ cups of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons reduced fat buttermilk (no substitutes)
more all purpose flour as needed
Get your pie pan, it should either be a standard nine inch or a deep dish pan. The pan won’t need to be sprayed with cooking spray , this pie crust recipe won’t stick very much to your cook ware.
Place the 1 ½ cup all purpose flour into the pan. Then follow it with the tablespoon sugar. The 1 teaspoon salt should be added next. Mix the dry ingredients together with a fork or clean hands. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Pour the ½ cup vegetable oil in the center of the well.
Have a cup or so of extra flour at the ready and a tablespoon measure and set it aside. Mix the ingredients together with clean hands in your pie pan. Feel the texture of the pie crust mixture, it may be more liquid than dough just yet.
The pie crust dough will feel different every time you make this recipe. The key is to add from the additional flour set aside one tablespoon at a time until you get a nice, pliable ball of pie crust dough that isn’t sticky. You’ll know when you have it just right after you’ve made this pie crust recipe a few times. Pat the dough down into the pan Bake the pie crust in a 425 degree oven for twelve to seventeen minutes or to the specifications of the pie recipe you are using.
I buy the buttermilk, hopefully on sale, and then freeze in small containers in the proper amounts for various recipes. So far that has worked without a problem and I haven’t had any buttermilk go bad on me (which used to happen every time I bought it).
I throw the crust together, place the frozen or recently defrosted veggies in the crust. (If I have the time, I brown the veggies in a frying pan with a little oil unti tender before adding to the quiche.) Add the cheese (in my case shredded cheddar from Sam’s Club). Beat the eggs and milk and pour over the mixture. When I’m in a hurry I don’t even bother to add the extra seasonings. Finally, I bake. Then at dinner time I pull it out of the oven. I usually dispense with the bacon in the recipe and cook a couple of slices in the microwave instead to serve on the side.
I usually eat the leftovers for breakfast (and sometimes lunch) until it’s gone. Since I can usually get away with using less cheese and milk than this recipe calls for, and I recently found a good source of eggs for less than $1 a dozen, this makes for a quick and easy and relatively inexpensive dinner, breakfast or lunch. (In my case, sometimes all three). Depending on the cost of various ingredients (which do vary somewhat) I can easily make this for less than $2. (Using less cheese, less milk and skim milk instead of whole saves a bit as well.) Now $2 may seem like a lot for a single dish for serious frugalistas. However, that will feed my husband and myself for dinner at least one night, possibly two (my toddler may or may not actually eat it), and provide a couple of breakfasts for me as well. That’s pretty good for $2. I sometimes make pancakes or breakfast potatoes as a side.
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