Go for it! Quiche is so easy to make and so versatile. Serve it hot or cold, main dish or side dish. The creamier the cheese the creamier the quiche. You are right that you can use just about whatever you have on hand. Making individual pans sounds like a great idea. My favorite was from a little nursery/grocery which has closed and Im unable to find the same recipe anywhere. I think they may have used hovarti as the main cheese. MMMgood.
Satine

Make quiche in muffin cups, bake and freeze on cookie sheet and put in plastic zip locs. Reheat in toaster oven. Nice quickie meal with tossed salad.

This post was edited by georgysmom on Sat, Jun 21, 14 at 11:46

Or on the other side, instead of baking one, you can buy a combo of mini quiches at your super market.

Found in the freezer section,

Nancy's is a good brand to buy. Mini quiches. You have to heat them cause of the eggs, but then you can eat them hot, or room temperatures.

I did that just recently for an open house and they were the hit of the multi foods I served.

I use (kind of) Julia Child's recipe, and it does involve partially pre baking the crust to avoid the soggy crust. My family likes the combination of Swiss cheese and bacon. We often have quiche for brunch on holidays. If someone straggles in late, it is so easy to warm up left over quiche for them. I prefer using whole milk for the liquid, not cream. I like the firmer texture I get with whole milk.

PS -- I use dried beans on a Pam sprayed foil to keep the crust's shape when I pre bake. Prick the crust all over, spray the foil with Pam, place the foil, Pam side down, on the crust, and fill the foil with dried beans. I have used the same beans for 35 years, so by now they are definitely petrified. Once you use beans this way, they cannot be cooked.

This post was edited by sheilajoyce on Sat, Jun 21, 14 at 12:12

My DH says he likes omlets better. So having a nice crust isn't impressing everyone. :0) He also likes breakfast burritos....which can be made like an omlet in a tortilla.

Whatever you choose as the filling ingredients, cook them first before putting them into the pie crust. Then mix up three eggs per cup of milk, half and half or cream, add a little salt and pepper and pour over the top. Make more egg mixture to the same proportions if it isn't enough for the size pan you have chosen.

There are recipes for crustless quiches! I used to make one with broccoli!

The crust is the best part, Glenda, but for those eating reduced carbs (like me), crustless is a good way to go.

Another name for a crustless quiche is frittata. I like to make them in a mini-muffin tin. I'll make a batch and throw them in the refrigerator to be heated in the microwave for snacks or lunch. When I make them in the mini-muffin tin, I can make different flavors by placing the fillings into the cups and pouring plain egg mixture over the top.

I've linked the recipe I use below. The only difference is, as I mentioned, I put the fillings directly into the cups of the pan rather than mixing it with the egg mixture. Otherwise, it's hard to get an even amount of filling in each cup.

Also, I don't stick with the recipe's recommendation for fillings, but vary them based on what's on hand in the refrigerator. You are right that the recipe is a great way to use up leftover vegetables and meat. You can even omit cheese as I do when I make them for my lactose intolerant friends.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe

Had a student of mine, I was the 4H sponsor, enter their egg cooking competition.

She won first place in the county for her frittata. We practiced on it in my kitchen at home.

Sad thing was that she didn't want to enter the state competition that followed. :o(

I often make Quiches for Hunt Club brunches. They work well because you never know when exactly the riders are coming in.
For me the "right ratio" of eggs to "dairy" is 4 eggs to one cup, and whenever possible I use half and half (although I have used 2% milk in a pinch)

Ingredient combinations I recall using are:
Classic: sauteed onion, cooked bacon, diced jarlsburg cheese.
Crabby: sauteed onion, faux crab, sauteed mushroom, goat cheese
Veggie: sauteed onion, steamed asparagus, diced cheddar
Mushroom: sauteed onion, sauteed white mushroom, sauteed portabella mushroom.

Recently we had friends visiting and as I started making a quiche for breakfast, I discovered that I had no pre-made crusts, and decided to just make it crustless. After I put it in the oven, I remembered that one of the friends was allergic to wheat, and if there had been a crust, she wouldn't have been able to eat it.

Sounds good, Bob.

When making a true quiche au fromage (with cheese), you can be sure that any self respecting French chef would use a more geographically correct cheese like gruyere or emmental rather than a Norwegian jarlsberg. The taste is different, and I think you'll find that using the more traditional cheese adds a bit more of a nutty and sour flavor that is characteristic.

I love quiche,,,, or has my grandma used to call them "cheese n egg pies". I like the with or without meat, crust or crustless....mushroom pepper. tomato, even squash......some with spinach or kale, or dandelion....or whatever you like.... I really don't think there is a right or wrong way to make a quiche...just so that it tastes totally yummy...

Carolyn

The ideas are interesting. Not having gourmet taste buds, I wouldn't know the difference between a true quiche or any other kind. Since it sounds like a 'baked omlete' the crust may be an important factor in taste. Experimenting with a smaller batch and muffin tins may work. Or a mini tart pan. Is there any rule on thickness vs baking time, to cook the inside but not burn the edges? Will look for a frozen variety to try first.

I hate the taste of cheese, can't help it, that's how my taste buds work. Can I make a quiche or fritata without cheese? And, if so, do I need to increase the quantity of milk or half and half?

Yes, you can omit the cheese. You don't need to alter anything else.
I would say, OldFixer, that a quiche has more the consistency of a baked custard (which it is, just without sugar) than an omelette, which is all egg and firmer.

This post was edited by colleenoz on Sun, Jun 22, 14 at 12:54

Well I am doing it all wrong compared to you guy..First off I use a premade crust that I prick the bottom and partially bake. Then I used up to a dozen eggs(I always make 2) I use either ham, bacon, or sausage as the meat of the pies. I then use a variety of veggies I have in the fridge, squash, zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots(the mini ones I diced up) anything I have on hand. then I layer in whatever cheese I have on hand, cheddar, provolone, swiss, mozzarella mix eggs with skim milk and pour over pies and cook at 425(In think) for a hour. or til a toothpick inserted comes out clean

Sounds fine to me, Orchidlaura :-)

I use my grandma's recipe for crustless quiche. I am trying to eat low carb to lose a few pounts so I have been making the quiches on the weekends and then I have breakfast to take to work all week. I try to add veggies that I have in the house to make it more healthy.

350â¦â¦.20-25 minutes for mini quiches.

Forget tasting. Spotted those mini ones in the freezer. A small box with things about 1/3 the size of a cupcake, was $9. I'll take a steak instead.

This is what I bought for a graduation open house and they were a big hit.

Bought them at Sam's for less than $8. 48 count

Wal Mart carries a smaller version and definitely more expensive.

{{!gwi}}

Using two eggs to make a sample sounds more logical.

Now it's getting technical.

"It wasnâÂÂt a frittata because it wasnâÂÂt cooked on the stove in a cast iron pan then finished in the oven. It wasnâÂÂt a quiche because it didnâÂÂt have more liquid than egg."

"Quiche is made by adding ingredients to a custard base, a combination of eggs and heavy cream, which gives it a deliciously creamy consistency when baked. Replace the cream with half and half or milk to cut the fat. Quiche usually has a crust, but it doesnâÂÂt have to.

Eggs get top-billing in a frittata. Frittatas have no crust and little, if any, milk or cream. Frittatas are cooked first on the stovetop, then finished in the oven or under the broiler."

While this is not a quiche or frittata...I am going to try this for brunch next week.

**edited to add...I am going to spice this up a little. Seems like it needs onions, maybe a dash of hot sauce and maybe lightly sprinkle "petals" with cheddar cheese at very end. Also will brush with egg whites for shine.

This post was edited by salgal on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 11:08

Salgal, do you have a link to that recipe?

It looks fabulous!

here's a link, with step by step instructions. I thought I had attached....sorry!

Here is a link that might be useful: recipe

It sounds tasty but it looks like there's maybe too much crust relative to the inside?

My favorite is quiche with a hash brown potato crust,. I ran across the recipe on the food network several years ago.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hash brown quiche