Everyone can enjoy quiche!

4/1/15 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Spring has sprung! The birds at our house are bustling about while feasting on the worms they pull out of the ground.  The trees are producing enough pollen to make me sneeze and we can sit out on the porch and watch the grass grow. It’s a great time to live in Oregon. In fact, it kinda makes me want to sing!

But this is a cooking column and springtime also brings a desire for lighter mealtime fare. Out with the heavy casseroles, soups and stews! Our appetites are craving bright, crisp, citrusy flavors. Fresh asparagus, artichokes and other once-a-year produce items are suddenly must have menu choices.

And that brings me to the subject of quiche. Once upon a time everyone in my gal-pal circle of friends had springtime luncheons and we all ate quiche. Not anymore. Maybe we overdid it because quiche seems to have fallen out of favor. It certainly fell off my radar.

Quiche is basically a savory custard made with milk (or cream) and eggs mixed with bacon, vegetables or cheese. It is poured into an open-faced crust, baked and served either warm or at room temperature. You want just enough eggs to set the milk but not too many or it will become rubbery. You want the custard to wobble a bit as it comes out of the oven. It will set as it cools.

Today’s first recipe is inspired by Martha Stewart. I happened upon her video of mini quiche making and thought, “What a great idea for an Easter appetizer.” So if you’re in charge of appetizers this year give this one a try. I have included her “Pâte Brisée” recipe because the crust is as important as the filling. Store bought won’t do. The second recipe my friend Ruth Edens gave me back in the early 1980s. It can be served for a lunch entree or a light dinner.

The saying used to be that “Real men don’t eat quiche.” Nonsense. Everyone loves a good quiche. Enjoy! And Happy Easter!

MINI SPRINGTIME QUICHES

Martha Stewart

1 bunch pencil asparagus

Coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

All-purpose flour

1/2 recipe Pâte Brisée (recipe follows)

3 oz. Gruyère cheese (can substitute Swiss)

2 oz. cooked ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cut 3 inches from the tip-ends of the asparagus; reserving remaining stalks for another use. Generously add salt to boiling water. Add asparagus, and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain well. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, heavy cream, eggs, yolk, and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Strain through a sieve into a medium bowl; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out pâte brisée to slightly less than 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2 3/4-inch round cutter to cut out 24 rounds. Fit rounds into a 24-cup nonstick mini muffin tin. If the dough becomes too soft to work with, place in refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Divide half of Gruyère evenly between the lined cups. Top with ham. Divide milk mixture evenly between cups. Top each with 3 to 4 pieces of asparagus. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyère.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; immediately remove quiches from muffin tin, and transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PÂTE BRISÉE

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. granulated sugar

2 sticks cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup ice water

Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until dough just holds together (no longer than 30 seconds).

Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). Dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Note: Use this dough to make both sweet and savory pies

ZUCCHINI GREEN CHILI QUICHE

Pastry for 9” pie crust

3 cups coarsely grated, unpeeled zucchini

1 cup (7 ounces) green chilies

3/4 cup sliced green onions and tops

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk (i.e. canned milk like Carnation)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400° F. Mix cheeses together and set aside.

Crust: Roll pastry a little thicker than for a regular pie. Trim top as for a single pie crust.

Prepare zucchini: Grate on a sheet of foil and sprinkle with salt. Let stand 30 min. then squeeze out moisture and blot dry. (This is an important step.) Rinse green chilies, drain and blot dry.

Cook green onions slowly in melted butter about 1 min. Stir in zucchini and heat only a few minutes, just until zucchini is glazed with fat. Blend in flour. Spread mixture in pie shell. Sprinkle with chilies and half the cheese.

Beat eggs with milk and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour into pie shell and sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture. Bake at 400° for 15 min. Reduce heat to 350° and bake 20-25 min. longer until custard is set and slightly puffy. Cool at least 15 min. before cutting.

Note: I like to serve this with sour cream and salsa on the side.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes

 that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.