Jkom51Âs BILÂs Roasted Red Pepper/Feta Quiche

Original in the Vegetarian Exchange forum.

(1) Double Pate Brisee crust from Silver Palate for a 9x13 pan:

Ingredients:

3 C Flour
1 tsp Salt
pinch Sugar
1 1/3 stick butter, chilled (5.3 oz)
6 Tbsp Shortening, chilled
1/2 C ice water

Sift the flour, sugar and salt together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture is like coarse meal. Sprinkle on and blend in enough ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork. Turn dough out onto your work surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, about 1/4 cup at a time. Scrape up the smeared dough into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Unwrap dough, place on floured work surface, and pound it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it. Roll out 1/8-inch thick, or to desired thickness. Drape dough over a 9x13 Pyrex pan; ease it into the pan without stretching, pat into place, trim off excess, and crimp edge if desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F. Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and prick the bottom and sides well with a fork. Line the pan with foil or wax paper; fill with beans, rice, or pastry weights to weight the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the dough is just beginning to color. Remove from oven, remove weights and lining, and cool slightly.

(2) Filling

Drop oven temp to 375F.

1 small bunch chopped scallions, white and green parts (or onions species your choice)
1 bunch spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
8 oz feta cheese
Six eggs
1 C Half & half
1 Tbsp herb seasoning such as savory, thyme, Italian herb mix
Fresh ground pepper (there is enough salt in the feta)

Sauté scallions in butter/oil your choice until slightly wilted. Add spinach and further cook until wilted. Remove from heat and cool, move to a large bowl. Chop roasted red peppers and feta and add to the bowl. Mix in the eggs, Half and Half, and herbs/pepper. Pour filling into the baked crust, and bake 30 - 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, serve.

Here is one of my favorites:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten

Sift flour and salt; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add the beaten egg and toss with a fork to mix. Gather dough into a ball and chill.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Fit into a 10" pie plate or quiche pan. Measure depth of pie plate and trim dough one-inch wider. Fold dough and press it firmly against the pan sides. Arrange the filling ingredients in the crust.

Chicken and Cheese Filling

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese - sprinkle in bottom of crust
1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken - spread evenly in pastry crust
2 finely chopped green onions with tops - sprinkle evenly over chicken

Custard

3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. pepper

Mix custard ingredients and pour over the filling.

Top with:

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted slightly
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bake in a preheated hot oven at 425 F for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 325 and continue baking about 30 minutes or until custard is set. Insert a knife in the center of the pie; if it comes out almost clean, remove pie from oven. The custard will continue to set as it cools. Serve quiche warm. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I have been making this quiche for the last 40+ years.

Quiche

5 eggs
2 cups evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash nutmeg
Dash cayenne pepper
12 strips bacon, crisply fried
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheese (I use Cabot's Private Stock)
1 unbaked pie shell

Beat the eggs, milk and seasonings together. Sprinkle crumbled bacon into the pie shell and cover with grated cheese. Pour the milk mixture over all. Bake 300° until the quiche has puffed and browned, center should be barely jiggly. This could take between 35-60 minutes or more , depending on the depth of the pan used. Allow at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

I make this quiche. I don't make a crust, since none of my kids eat it. It bakes up fine.

MomÂs Quiche

Ingredients
4 beaten eggs
1 cup half & half
1 cup milk
¼ tsp salt
Dash of nutmeg
1-½ cups (6 oz.) shredded cheese gently tossed with 1 Tbs of flour (mild cheddar, Swiss, American, Colby, Monterey Jack, etc. etc. or a mixture of cheeses)

Optional ingredients
Sautéed onions
Crumbled Bacon
Prosciutto ham
Tomatoes
Diced red, yellow or orange peppers
Hot peppers
Any veggie
Anything interesting

Directions
1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, half-and-half, milk, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in any other ingredients, lay sliced tomatoes on the bottom. Toss together shredded cheese and flour. Add to egg mixture; mix well.
2. Pour egg mixture into pie plate. Bake in the 325°F oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.. Let stand 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Rather than a pie plate, use 6 oz. ramekins or other small containers.

Optional Crust
1. Prepare Pastry for Single-Crust Pie or unroll prepared pastry into a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy duty foil. Bake in a 450 degrees F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes more or until pastry is set and dry. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. (Pie shell should still be hot when filling is added.)
3. If necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent over-browning.

Marigene,

That looks like a good, straightforward quiche recipe.

I am curious about your good photographs. You obviously have some skill in food photography. How did you learn it and how long have you had this skill?

Jim

Jim, thank you for the compliment, but I am laughing...I didn't know I had any photography skills at all! I have a very inexpensive Canon (point and shoot) camera that I take all my pictures with...I even use the flash, most of time, which I know some posters frown on. And now for the best part, I use a styrofoam cooler for shots of the plated food! Do you still think I obviously have some skill in food photography? I am sure the ones with their expensive cameras/equipment are falling off their chairs laughing like hyenas.

I have two very favorite quiche recipes. The first is from the long-gone Broadway Dept Stores' Chafing Dish restaurants. It's a creamy, rich classic quiche. I think what makes the difference is the sour cream.

Broadway Quiche Lorraine

5 eggs
5 oz sour cream
salt, pepper,nutmeg
1 c whipping cream
6 oz grated Swiss cheese
1 10-inch unbaked pie shell OR 9-inch deep dish pie shell
6 to 7 slices bacon, cooked, & crumbled

Beat the eggs. Add sour cream & mix until smooth.
Strain mixture through a strainer. Add salt, pepper & nutmeg to taste.
Add cream & mix well.
Spread half the grated cheese in unbaked pie shell.
Layer crumbled bacon over cheese & top with remaining cheese.
Add sour cream mixture.
Bake, on baking sheet to catch spills, at 300 degrees 1 hr to 1 hour & 15 minutes or until custard is golden brown & set. Let set about 10 minutes before servings.

My second most favorite quiche is from the Junior League of Palo Alto (California), which produced at least two wonderful small cookbooks of recipes from members, titled Private Collection & Private Collection 2. This quiche is delicate & different than the standard quiche. I've made it for wedding showers.

Quiche with White Wine and Shallots

1/2 c minced shallots
1/2 c dry white wine
6 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
3 c heavy cream
dash of freshly ground nutmeg
12 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
1 10-inch pastry shell, baked*

Place shallots & wine in saucepan & bring just to a boil. Lower heat & simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Sprinkle salt & pepper over eggs. Beat lightly, then beat in cream, nutmeg & wine-shallot mixture, respectively.
Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the pastry shell.
Pour in custard mixture.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes** or until golden brown & firm in center. Let rest 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.
*Note: This recipe will fill two 8-inch shells, but reduce baking time.
**45-60 minutes for a 9-inch shell. Rest about 15 minutes.

My favorite quiche recipe is a lowfat version made with silken tofu, which I will only post if someone wants it. (Ya gotta want lowfat and be open to tofu to appreciate it). It is good. Not quite as rich as the regular kind, but acceptable.

My other favorite comes from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" by Mollie Katzen

Prepare your chosen crust. She has a lot of recipes for vegetable crusts, nut crusts, crumb crusts, potato crust, cheese crust, etc., but as some of you know, I don't do crusts, I just buy the kind you get in the fridge section and unroll and put in the pan.

The first layer is the cheese, either grated or cubed directly upon the crust. The cheese goes first because the melting fat in the cheese forms a moisture resistant barrier between the filling and the crust, then helping avoid sogginess. Recommended types of cheese: swiss, especially gruyere, and med. sharp cheddar. Recommended about 1/4 - 1/3 lb. depending on how much filling you're using and how big your quiche pan is (like a regular pie pan or a deep dish pan). As Rachel Ray would say, at this point I just "eyeball it."

The potential fillings:
-1/2 lb. chopped and steamed spinach with sauteed onions, dry mustard and nutmeg (I like red onions)
-Mushroom (1/2 lb. sliced) with scallions, oregano and thyme
-Steamed asparagus (8-10 thin stalks) with tarragon (not for me, I'm a tarragon hater, I use chervil instead) and dill
-Chopped steamed broccoli with lemon juice and garlic (my favorite)
-Tomatoe slices sauteed in EVOO or butter with basil and dill (I just use basil, this is my second favorite)
-Snippets of fresh herbs (marjoram, thyme, basil, dill chives, parsley) with sauteed onions and peppers (or just the herbs)
-Marinated artichoke hearts drained and chopped (I have never tried this)
-If ya just gotta have that smoky pork flavor add some crumbled bacon or ham bits or fake bacon bits. I hardly ever do.

The custard:
After you apply the filling over the cheese, beat together 3 eggs and 1 cup milk (or cream but I use 2% milk) or 4 eggs and 1.5 cups milk for the straight sided quiche pans. Pour it over the top. A variation is to sub some buttermilk or sour cream for some of the milk. Dust the top with paprika.

Bake 35-40 minl at 375 degrees, until eggs are set. Cool for 10 min. before slicing.

I keep pie crust in the freezer, and frozen veggies or canned ingredients for the fillings, so quiche is my "go to" elegant supper if I have unexpected guests, or I want an easy elegant dinner party dish.

Bon Appetite!

This one is so freakin' good! I've made it multiple times but never tried the crust; I use Pioneer Woman's pie crust recipe. This is a great dinner, rather than breakfast, quiche. My husband loves it too.

Chrissy

Mediterranean Quiche
from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sliced yellow onions
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1/4 pound mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Savory pie crust, recipe follows
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and zucchini and cook, stirring, for 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until the liquid is rendered and the vegetables are wilted, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, basil, and thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and half-and-half together. Add the salt, pepper, grated Gruyere, and crushed red pepper.

Spoon the vegetable mixture into the prepared piecrust, pour in the egg mixture, and crumble the goat cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Savory Pie Crust:
8 ounces flour (about 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons ice water
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Incorporate the butter and shortening by hand, working the fat into the flour with your fingertips until the dough starts to come together and form small pea shapes. Work the ice water into the dough until it just comes together, being careful not to over mix.

Form the crust into a disk shape, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 30 minutes. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan, trimming any excess and crimping the edges to fit the pan. Cover the bottom with parchment paper and pie weights or uncooked beans, and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and uncover. Let cool slightly on a wire rack before filling.

Yield: 1 crust

I'm new here and, my kitchen is still packed up from remodelling, but I thought I could share my favorite of all. I hope it's okay to pipe up without an actual recipe. It's not for the heart healthy diets, though! It's the Quiche Aux Champignons from Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Made exactly as written (no substitutions or shortcuts), though I omit the extra dabs of butter. It is the most delicious thing ever. Mushrooms, shallots, port wine and XXX whipping cream.

I also did an irreproducable one last year: I was trying out an Autumn potato salad before serving it to company, with red, russet, Yukon gold, and sweet potatoes. The dressing had a mayonnaise base and spices like cinnamon and cloves. It was okay, but not exceptional, and seemed to have grown, even in trial quantities. There wasn't a lot of dressing--just enough to coat--so I threw it into a custard and baked it in shells, and froze them. And my cousin said it was the best quiche ever (being that she's too young to remember the Quiche Aux Champignons).

I've posted this one many times but in case you haven't seen it before, it's a good one:

This is a favourite recipe from my daughter in Canada who has made herself popular in her neighbourhood with

SALMON QUICHE WITH WALNUT CRUMB CRUST

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Pastry:
Easy - doesn't require rolling, just press down with fingers and back of a spoon into a 24 cm (9.5 inch) pyrex flan dish or pie plate.

1 - 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped

Mix these ingredients in a bowl, cutting in butter with two knives until crumbly then press into a pie dish, including up the sides.
Bake in pre-heated oven for five minutes. Then remove from oven.

Meanwhile mix the following ingredients in a bowl:

Filling:
3 eggs beat till frothy
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can salmon (7 3/4 ounces) - I prefer fresh piece salmon that has been baked - 'smoked salmon' is really good too.
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Pour these ingredients into the pie crust - bake in oven approximately 45 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean.
The top is usually a nice golden brown colour. If you don't have salmon on hand, tinned tuna works well too in this recipe.

SharonCb

Have had this recipe for years--one of our favorites.

Quesadilla Quiche

1 9" crust, partially baked*

1 c. onion, coarsely chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 c. Tomatoes, coarsely chopped & drained
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. black pepper
1 can [4 oz.] chopped green chiles, drained
1 can [4 oz.] chopped ripe olives, drained
3 eggs, beaten
2-3 drops Tabasco
1 c. [4 oz] Monterey Jack, shredded
1 c. [4 oz] Cheddar, shredded

Saute onion in olive oil until tender. Stir in tomato, garlic, cumin, pepper. Gently heat thru, add chiles & olives & set aside.

Beat eggs with Tabasco. Stir in 1/2 of each of the cheeses.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over bottom of crust. Spoon onion mixture evenly over cheese. Then carefully pour egg mixture over onion mixture.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until set.

Serve warm w/ sour cream & salsa.

[* I partially bake most of my crusts about half way done before filling. Once the crust has been formed, I nest a slightly smaller foil pie pan onto the raw crust & pop it in the oven. The nested foil pan keeps the crust from slumping in the pie plate. Downside it that it flattens out the fluting just a bit but I'd rather that than an underbaked bottom crust. Anyway, if you don't have problems getting your raw crusts to thoroughly bake, ignore this part of the recipe & proceed as you normally do.]

I have made canarybird's Salmon quiche in a walnut crust and can tell you that it is absolutely delicious.

Here is another favorite of mine: Crab Quiche

For pastry
1-1/4 cups AP flour
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter cut into small chunks
2 Tbs. cold vegetable shortening
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 Tbs. ice water

For Filling
1 lb. crabmeat ( I buy a can at Trader Joe's)
4 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh chives
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp seafood seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I don't use the nutmeg)
2 oz. coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese (1/2 cup)
2 oz. coarsely grated Swiss cheese (1/2 cup)

Make pastry:
Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 2 Tbs. ice water and gently stir with a fork until incorporated,
Squeeze a small handful. If it does not hold together, add more ice sater, 1/2 Tbs at a time. Do not ovework your dough, though or it will be tough.

Turn out the mixture onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With the heal of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together and press into a ball, then flatten into a 4" disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least one hour.

Roll out dough into a 12" round on a lightly foured surface with a floured rolling pin and fit into a pie plate. Trim excess dough leaving a 1/2" overhang, then fold overhang under pastry and press against the rim of the pie plate to reinforce edge. Decoratively crimp edge and lightly prick bottom and side of shell with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weight (I use black hard beans). Bake until pastry is golden along rim and set underneath the foil, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom and sides are pale golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely.

Make filling:
Whisk together cream, eggs, herbs, seafood seasoning, salt, pepper and nutmeg (if using) then stir in cheeses and crabmeat.

Por into prebaked crust and bake until filling puffs and is no longer wobbly in center when quiche is gently shaken, 40-50 minutes. Cool in pie plate on rack 15 minutes.

I also frequently add a little lemon juice and some red pepper or hot sauce to give it a little more bite.

Serves 8.

Gourmet
September 2004

I can vouch for Sharon's salmon quiche, too! YUM!

Here is one I made for the Chicago get-together last weekend. It was a recipe that Sue posted several years ago and I have been making it ever since!

Hash Brown Quiche

3c frozen hash browns (Southern Style)
1 small onion, diced
1/3 c butter, melted
1 cooked ham steak, diced
8oz swiss cheese, grated
8oz muenster cheese, grated
2-1/4c milk or cream
6 eggs
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425F.
Mix together hash browns and onion
Press into 9x13 pan
Drizzle with melted butter
Bake 25-35 minutes until golden

Reduce oven temperature to 325F
Toss together ham and cheeses, place into hot crust
Mix milk, eggs and salt and pour into crust
Bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean

Let stand 10 minutes before serving

(Posted by Sue)

They all sound delicious, and Marigene and Sharon they look wonderful!!

Marigene,

That is funny! Credit may go to your P&S Canon camera, to luck or whatever. Still, those are pretty decent photos. The foam cooler idea is good. Maybe a larget cooler would work even better.

Jim

Can these quiches be made a day ahead for an early morning breakfast or should I just roll out of bed even earlier?

My daughter is having 25 girls sleepover tonight and I need some food for early tomorrow morning. I am thinking of a french toast souffle with blueberries, Sharon's salmon quiche and lots of fresh fruit and yogurt.

I often make quiches ahead. Sometimes I freeze them but if you made one tonight to be warmed up for tomorrow's breakfast, it should be fine.

Linda

I don't have a recipe for it, but I've always liked breakfast quiche, either ham or sausage, potatoes, and cheddar cheese.

I wish I had looked here before this past weekend. There was a brunch planned after the last hunt of the foxhunting season, and I was supposed to bring something brunchy. In the end I decided to make three quiches, I knew that classic Quiche Lorraine involved egg, bacon, cream, onion, and swiss-type cheese, so I bought enough of those ingredients and three pre-made frozen pie shells.

Then Saturday morning, I looked up Quiche Lorraine in three different recipe books, and the recipes were quite different. To make one quiche, the recipes called for either 2, 3 or 4 eggs; either 0, 1 large, or 4 onions; either 1/2 cup, 1 cup or 2 cups of milk or cream or half and half. Bake at 350 or 375 for 20-30 minutes or 30-35 minutes, or 30-40 minutes. At least they all agreed that you should use 1/4 lb of bacon.

In the end (as near as I can remember) I ended up making three of the following:

Quiche Lorraine

1 frozen 9" pre-made pie shell.
1 medium yellow onion (chopped fine)
1/4 lb thick hearty bacon (cut into 1/4" pieces)
3 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 - 1/2 cup Jarlsberg Swiss cheese (chopped into 1/4" pieces)
1/2 green onion (the green half) chopped fine
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp medium dry Madeira

Heat oven to 375 deg F. Break one egg, separate it (keeping both the white and the yolk.) Brush the inside of the pie shell with the egg white, and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the bacon in one pan until most of the fat is cooked out, but the bacon is not yet crisp. In another pan cook the onion in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil until the onion is well cooked and translucent. Add madeira to onion and cook further until it is mostly cooked off.

While the onion and bacon are cooking, the pie shell should finish, set it on a rack to cool until the onion and bacon are ready. Reduce oven to 350 deg F.

Place the bacon in the pie shell, followed by the onion, followed by the chopped swiss cheese. Then take the previously separated egg and two more and whisk/blend together with the heavy cream. Pour egg/cream into pie shell and top quiche with the green onion and a dash of salt and pepper.

Bake quiche in 350 deg F oven for 25 minutes, get call that the hunt is taking longer that planned, panic, reduce heat to 300 and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Many people at the brunch raved about the quiche, and a few said it was the best they'd ever had.