Friday, November 11, 2011

Beginner's Quiche



Most of us think of quiche as French - but it’s origin is actually German. It began with a bottom crust of bread dough, but then evolved into pastry.  It became popular in England in WWII, probably because meat was scarce.  This basic “beginner’s” quiche is a good place to start experimenting to come up with a unique version all your own.

Quiche hasn’t been taken seriously as great comfort food until recently.  It seems that most of us dismiss the possibility of serving quiche for a meal because of the dreaded pie crust/pastry.  I’ve gotten past that with “crustless” quiches - and, even though it’s always better WITH a crust - it’s still a great spur-of-the-moment meal.  

Quiche is usually made with a combination of eggs, liquid, and cheese.  This forms a filling that gives some kind of structure so the pie will hold together when sliced.  The formula that usually does the trick is about a cup of some kind of dairy product (milk or cream - or a combination) with 3-4 eggs.  As the eggs cook, they set - forming the custardy filling you expect in a quiche.  

Another advantage of serving quiche is that it’s simple to hide odds & ends (ummm - “leftovers”?) into it without being too obvious.  Baked in a new dish, I’ve rarely had objections from my family.

Quiche is always a good idea.  But it’s even better served with warm bread of some kind (cornbread, breadsticks, rolls, etc), a fresh green or fruit salad, and (for those “real men don’t eat quiche” guys) even a side of soup.

This recipe is the one I begin with - and it turns out different every time.

For this easy-to-adapt beginner's recipe, go to:

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for this recipe ~ I haven't had a quiche in ages! My sweet neighbor would bake quiche for each of her neighbors at Christmas. It keeps well in the fridge and re-heats nicely for Christmas morning!

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