| BASIC QUICHE |
| The technique, base formula, and filling suggestions. I ain't skeered! |
| Quiche is just a basic egg custard in a pie shell full of cheese and whatever it is that you like. Many people are skeer'd of custards, but it is so simple to do. And still many others, upon hearing the word "quiche", tout that they dislike spinach. Guess what? Don't put any in it if you don't! I made a qhiche that I named MexiQuiche in my restaurant, and it sold out in an hour and a half! We had to 86 it from the day's menu! Needless to say that the next time I made it, I made double the quiches! So just give it a whirl! Guys, your ladyfreinds will be impressed! ;) |
| The Basic Quiche Custard Formula 4 large eggs 1 cup heavy (whipping) cream (30~40% milkfat) salt, ground white pepper, and nutmeg, to taste TIP: Go REAL easy on the nutmeg, lest it overpower your dish. I suggest roughly 1/16 to 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp white pepper, and 1/3 tsp kosher salt. Start with less if you like, because you can always add more, but you can't take it out. If you are not sure, check the seasoning by dropping a few drops of the mix into a hot skillet and cooking, then let it cool some and taste it. Add more of what you think it is missing. Yup, that's all! With cheese and fillings (analogous to pizza toppings) it will fill one 9" pie shell. You will need roughly 8 ounces (by weight) of the cheese of your choice, provided it is not a strong or salty cheese such as Feta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Romano, any bleu, or such. Use these to flavor the pie, and add the remaining difference in a mild cheese such as cheddar, provolone, Swiss, or even American. BEGIN by mixing the basic custard together and adjust the seasonings. Line an uncooked 9-inch pie shell with the shredded mild cheese of your choosing--a good handful or two should do it. Now add your filling on top of that, to just below the level of the top edge of the shell, and pour the custard over it. The custard should just cover the top of the fillings to make a sort-of smoothish top surface. Bake this at 350-F and check on it in agout 30 minutes. It will likely take about 40 minutes to bake completely. To tell if it is done, wiggle the pan. If it looks like Jell-O, give it another 5 minutes or so. Some wiggling just in the very center is OK, as carry-over cooking will finish setting the egg. (But if a toothpick comes out really wet, leave it in a few minutes more). FILLING IDEAS One I llike is to use Swiss cheese, chicken breasts (cooked and cubed), and broccoli florets. Then there is sauteed onion, crumbled bacon, and Swiss (Quiche Lorraine (from the Alsace-Lorraine region of Northern France)). MexiQuiche involves cheddar, pepper-jack, drained taco meat, chopped tomatoes, sliced black olived, chopped onion, and jalepeno slices for the filling, and picante sauce, sour cream, and chopped green onion on top as garnish. Put a good fat handful of cheddar in the pie shell. Mix a half cup of the shredded pepper-jack, about a cup of taco seasoned beef, half cup tomato, a third cup olives, and a third cup onion (you may vary according to taste) and mix 'em up real good. Fill shell, top with the custard. You may have some leftover ingredients here, so make a Mexi-Omelette for a buddy! I used the jalepeno as a single slice on top of each serving (6 peices for a full entree portion, 10 for appetizer portion). Bake as normal. Top each slice with some Pace (or that New York City brand), and a dollop of sour cream. A pinch of the chopped green onion looks nice too. (Darnit, I'm hungry now!) Ham and sauteed bell peppers--the more colors, the merrier. Zucchini and crookneck (yellow) squash slices, alone or with a mix of peppers and onions, and bacon or sausage if you like. Ground lamb, Feta and mozzarella cheeses, rosemary, oregano, and Kalamata olive slices. It is all up to you. Just make sure that your fillings contain very little or no excess liquid, or the quiche may not set correctly. When sauteeing your veggies, do so with a pinch of salt to help extract some of that moisture. Good quiche, and happy eating! |