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As the saying goes, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb”. Whatever the weather, a delicious quiche can be served for breakfast alongside a sweet roll or coffee cake, for lunch with a thick slice of crusty French bread, or dinner with a side of garden salad. What man would say “no” to these tasty meals on a cloudy March day? 

 

Linda: I was curious about the history of quiche so I searched the internet. It’s always thought of as French, originating in the Lorraine district of France, and Quiche Lorraine is one of the most popular recipes. However, Germany, Italy, and England were also making pastries resembling quiche early on.

 

Lucy: It seems to be the type of dish that could be created using whatever ingredients or leftovers were on hand. The custard recipe stays the same and cheese, meat, and vegetables like corn, green chilies, carrots, and asparagus can be added. I would suggest pre-cooking vegetables for a few minutes to soften.

 

Linda: Yes, I took a French cooking class and that’s the way it was described. We made Quiche Lorraine in class and it’s always been my favorite. With bacon and cheese being the main ingredients, how could you go wrong?

 

Lucy: I’ve tried a spinach quiche, which is also quite appealing. The key when using frozen spinach, once it has thawed, is to keep wringing all the water out of the spinach. It needs to be dry so the quiche isn’t soggy. You can push the water out through a strainer.

 

Linda: A broccoli ham and cheese quiche is also a favorite. Sometimes I use cheddar and sometimes a combination of Swiss and Gruyere. The Gruyere adds a little extra flavor to the Swiss. The cheddar makes the quiche golden brown when it comes out of the oven.

 

Lucy: I have a few tips for making quiche ahead of time. Make the quiche a day ahead, cover with foil and refrigerate. To reheat, leave foil on and bake at 300 for 35 to 45 minutes. To freeze quiche, first cool and then cover with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. When ready to eat, thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove plastic wrap, cover with foil and bake at 300 until hot in the center. Quiche can be frozen for 3 months. I know our readers will enjoy these recipes.

 

Betty Crocker Quiche Lorraine Recipe

 

1 pie crust (Using frozen pie crust—poke holes in bottom and sides of crust and bake at 400 for about 8 minutes)

Filling

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled (1/2 cup)

1 cup shredded Swiss and Gruyere or Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1/3 cup finely chopped onion or shallot

4 large eggs

2 cups whipping cream or half-and-half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

Directions

Reduce oven temperature to 325° F. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pie crust. In medium bowl, beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining filling ingredients. Pour into quiche dish.  Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

 

Spinach Quiche

Made with heavy cream and Gruyère, this rich spinach quiche is classic French.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 9-inch deep dish frozen pie crust

1 TBS butter

1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots

4 large eggs

1-3/4 cups heavy cream

Pinch ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup (4 oz) finely shredded Gruyère, packed

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung free of water. (You can defrost the frozen spinach quickly by placing it in a fine mesh strainer and running hot water over it. Then gather the spinach into a ball and squeeze it dry….you need the spinach completely dry, otherwise your quiche will be watery.)

Directions:

1. 1 pie crust (Using frozen pie crust—poke holes in bottom and sides of crust and bake at 400 for about 8 minutes…if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate. Set aside and turn oven down to 325°F.
2. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the shallots until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper.
4. Place the cooked pie crust on a baking sheet. Spread the shallots over the bottom of the cooked crust, then sprinkle the shredded Gruyere over top. Scatter the spinach evenly over cheese, breaking up the clumps as best you can. Pour the egg and cream mixture over top.
5. Bake at 325°F degrees for 50 to 55 minutes until the custard is set and top is lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.

 

Broccoli Quiche with Ham and Gruyere (from Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Cookbook)

Ingredients

1 frozen pie shell  

1 cup broccoli florets

2 large eggs

¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup heavy cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup (about four ounces) diced deli ham 

½ cup shredded Gruyere, Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese

Directions

1. Partially bake pie shell.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Set oven rack to center position. In a medium saucepan, cook broccoli in boing water two minutes until tender-crisp. Drain well.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk whole eggs, milk, cream, salt and pepper until well blended.
4. Spread broccoli, ham, and cheese evenly over bottom of warm pie shell. Pour in egg mixture to ¼ inch below crust rim (you might have extra, don’t fill it up). 
5. Bake 35 minutes until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted near the edge comes out clean, and center feels set but soft. The center will continue to set and sink a bit as it cools. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.