Quiche Florentine

 

You’d be hard pressed, I think, to find someone who hasn’t heard of quiche. What was a bit of a rarity when I was a child is now pretty much everywhere. There’s much to like about quiche. It’s inexpensive, can make use of whatever you happen to have in the fridge, can have crust…or not, and can be served cold or hot. I find it’s a wonderful way to use up ingredients of which I may have over bought, and don’t want to see go to waste. That was the inspiration for this quiche, namely, the bag of fresh baby spinach that had gotten shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten.Florentine Quiche

 1 9-inch pie crust, blind baked*

1 T. olive oil

2 medium Melissa’s shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz. shredded cheese, your choice, I used cheddar

3 c. fresh baby spinach

1 T. flour

½ c. whole milk

½ c. heavy cream

4 large eggs, beaten  

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/8 t. white pepper

Few gratings 

fresh nutmeg

 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Blind bake pie crust. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive. Add garlic and shallots, and sauté until the shallots are transparent, 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and stir gently until cooked down.

In a small dish, take 2 tablespoons of the milk and whisk together with the flour until the flour is dissolved. Combine the slurry with the rest of the milk, heavy cream, and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine and add salt and pepper. Set aside. Layer the vegetables and cheese in the prepared pie crust. Slowly and carefully pour the liquid over top.

 Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes until the center of the quiche is cooked through. Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

*To blind bake a pie crust,place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pie pan on top of your crust. Place pie weights, dried beans, or rice on top of parchment and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove and set aside the weights and parchment paper. Prick the bottom of the pie crust several time with a fork. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.

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Flaky Pie Crust Made Easy

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After seeing how flaky and gorgeous the crust was on the quiche that I made earlier, a number of people asked me for the recipe. The recipe isn’t all that special; there is honestly nothing to it. It’s a recipe that is available almost anywhere online, but the key, I have come to learn, is not as much the recipe itself, as it is the baking, and by that I mean pie weights. Nothing beats pie weights for weighing down the crust. Trust me when I tell you that I have used a variety of dried beans in the past, popcorn kernels (you can imagine how foolish that was), and when I didn’t have either of all those things, I filled the crust with oven safe measuring spoons. None of those yielded the flaky crust that I got here.

Generally speaking, I am one of those people who buy crust because it’s convenient and easy. I have total trust anxiety when it comes to rolling it out; I am just not good at doing it. So another important aspect is, after you have taken your dough out of the food processor and put it onto plastic wrap, flatten it as much as you can, I am talking flat! Make about an 8-inch disc. That way you will only have to roll it out 2-4 inches all the way around to get something that comfortably fits a 9-inch pie pan.

Simple Pastry Crust for Quiche
Makes one crust for 9” pie plate

1¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter, cold, cubed
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

In the work bowl of a food processor place flour, cubes of butter, and salt. Pulse until crumbly and then slowly, through the feed tube, pour in the ice water, a tablespoon at a time. Start out with about 3 tablespoons of water. When the dough pulls away from the side of the work bowl, and you can pinch of piece, squeeze it between your thumb and index finger, and, if it sticks together, you’re finished. Place it on a piece of plastic wrap, flatten it into an 8-inch disc, seal it completely in the plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour, but closer to one day.

When you’re ready to bake, roll out the pastry on a piece of parchment paper to a generous 12” circle (If you want an overhang to fold under to make a fancy schmancy edging, otherwise 10” will do). Fold the parchment paper over carry it over to your pie plate, put it face-down, and slowly peel the parchment paper off. Fit it into the bottom of the pie plate and up the sides. Don’t stretch it, or it’ll shrink. Just pat it lightly into place. A tart tamper can often help here. At this point you can make any type of decorative edge that you desire, or simply cut off any excess and imprint with a fork all the way around, which is something that I generally do. Then, take a sharp-tine fork, and poke holes in the bottom. Place it into the freezer for an hour.

Shortly before you’re prepared to bake your quiche, preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the piecrust from the freezer, line the bottom and up the sides, and over the edges (to prevent the burning) with aluminum foil, and cover the bottom with pie weights. Place on the bottom rack in your oven, and bake for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, remove the foil and pie weights, and bake for five minutes more to bake the bottom through. Now you’re ready to make your quiche.

If you would like the recipe for the Easy Gruyere and Brie Quiche shown in the photo above, you can find it here.

Meal Plan Monday #8 - It's Aldi Week!

It’s Aldi week! If you read my post about my recent shopping trip to Aldi (That you can find here.), then you know that I got a little bit carried away. I thought that I would use one (or more) of their products in everything I made this week. So here’s what’s happening.

 Monday- Hearts of Palm and Spinach Quiche with Gruyere cheese

Tuesday- Sirloin Burgers with Pimiento Cheese 

Wednesday- Mandarin Orange Salad and Soup du Jour

Thursday - Dinner out, huzzah!

Friday - Cream of Tomato Soup with Brussels Sprout Ricotta Toasts

Saturday - Sole Meunière, baked potato, peas

Sunday - Butter Cauliflower Bowls with Cilantro Lime Rice

What are you cooking?

This week’s place setting; to see more of this table, click here.

Spicy Fresh Corn Quiche

Missouri sweet corn season officially ends the last day in September. But, ever since I was a little girl, I came to associate corn with the month of October. The reason for this is that, as soon as the weather would turn cool, my mother would pack me into the car, and we would head off to the local farm to buy pumpkins, Indian corn, and corn shucks to decorate the front of the house. Back then I knew nothing about the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, all I knew was that shopping for wonderful fall things like these made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Those are good memories that I have with my mom, and I can't help but think about her and how much she enjoyed decorating for each season, when I pull out my autumn decor.

Today I was looking for something different to make for dinner. A quiche sounded really good to me, but I also had quite a few ears of corn in the fridge, having recently fallen victim to a produce sale at the local market. Rummaging through my recipe binder (that has an ample section of quiches), I decided to come up with one of my own, featuring fresh local corn. I had no idea how this was going to turn out, but it smelled heavenly while baking. I tend to be impatient when I pull a quiche from the oven, not wanting to allow it the necessary cooling time for things to settle into place before slicing. But, busying myself with other things, I allowed it to cool, and then dug in. It was wonderful! What a fabulous breakfast, brunch, or fall luncheon dish this would make. It is so easy to put together that you won't believe it. I wanted spicy so I used pepper jack cheese, but feel free to substitute your favorite white cheddar, Gouda, Swiss, or any cheese of your choosing. I think you're really going to enjoy this one, and I think the family will too.

Spicy Fresh Corn Quiche

3 large eggs
½ small yellow onion, chopped*
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
2/3 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
One deep dish pie crust**

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine first seven ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until onion is finely chopped. Add half-and-half and butter, and pulse until blended. Place corn kernels into your unbaked crust. Pour liquid mixture on top, spreading evenly. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. Bake until filling is slightly puffed, and the top is golden brown, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool on a rack 15 minutes before slicing.

*I used a yellow onion, but I think chopped leeks or scallions would work equally well and add a bit of color

**I don't bake, so I don't make pie crust, I used one from Pillsbury, but feel free to use whatever you like.

PRINT RECIPE

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday, Dishing It & Digging It, Cooking & Crafting with J&J, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Mondays, Make it Pretty Monday, Celebrate Your Story, O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday,  Homestead Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Grace at Home, Friday at the Fire Station, Foodie Friday & Everything Else, Create, Bake, Grow and Gather, Share Your Style, Simple Saturday Blog Hop, A Bouquet of Talent, Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party, What’s for Dinner Sunday, Happiness is Homemade Sunday

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Pimiento Cheese Quiche

My love for pimiento cheese is legendary. Well, maybe not legendary exactly, but pretty darned close. And when I am not testing new recipes for making pimiento cheese (see here and here), I'm thinking up ways to turn it into a tasty main dish as I did with this Pimiento Cheese Mac and Cheese. The other day I was wondering what else I could possibly do when I hit upon the idea of quiche. I used the basic components of pimiento cheese, a basic quiche recipe, and came up with this amazing bit of deliciousness. 

Pimiento Cheese Quiche

One pie crust (your own or purchased)

3 large eggs

2/3 cup heavy cream

2/3 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Duke’s mayonnaise

Salt, to taste

Pinch of cayenne

2-4 drops hot sauce

8 ounces sharp cheddar, grated

½ 7-ounce jar Melissa’s Fire Toasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, chopped

1/3 cup chopped scallions

Place pastry into a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Crimp the edges, poke the bottom with a fork, and place the pastry in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the pastry with aluminum foil and pastry weights and bake about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.* Remove from the oven and remove the aluminum foil and pastry weights; return the pastry to the oven to bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, cayenne, and hot sauce until thoroughly blended. Place grated cheese into the bottom of the baked pastry, top with the chopped peppers and scallions, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pastry. Pour the milk/cream/egg mixture over the top. Bake in the center of the oven until the filling is golden and puffed, and is completely baked through, about 40 minutes. You can check for doneness by giving it a jiggle to make sure that the center is solid rather than liquid-y.

Remove from oven and let set for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

* In the absence of pastry weights, I line the pastry with foil and then put a smaller-sized glass pie pan on top and bake it this way.

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This post is linked to: Merry Monday, Art of Homemaking, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Mondays, Inspiration Monday, Cooking & Crafting with J&J, Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Tutorials and Tips Tuesday, Homemaking Party Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Agatha’s Spinach Quiche

I am an M.C. Beaton fan. Beaton (one of the pen names of writer Marion Chesney) is the creator of two fun, diametrically opposed, mystery series, Agatha Raisin, and Hamish MacBeth, both of which I enjoy immensely.

I discovered Agatha Raisin quite by accident. While browsing through a bookstore (remember those?), looking for the latest culinary cozy (a sub-genre that, as a foodie, I have come to embrace), I picked up a book called Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death.  Unbeknownst to me, it was the first in what has turned out to be a long and delightful series. A culinary mystery it was not (Agatha has been referred to as the queen of the microwave), but cozy it was, situated in what surely what must be the coziest place on earth, the English Cotswolds. And while not a culinary cozy, by definition, it was a book that left me hungry for more. Flash forward 22 years and we, at long last, have Agatha on the small screen (in England, anyway) in SkyTV's version of this fun book. While Ashley Jensen is too young, too thin, and too blonde to be the real Agatha, in watching the trailer it appears that she does a rather fine job in the role. 

This quiche in is honor of Agatha and her creator. It is a spinach quiche, like the one in the book, only far less deadly.  I added mushrooms - a dodgy vegetable, perfect for the mystery genre, particularly if you tend to gather your own, as one never really knows about mushrooms, does one?  I also swapped out the usual quiche cheese, Gruyere, for Smoked Gouda because it reminds me more of the cigarette smoking Agatha. The end result was quite delicious and certainly worthy of a win in any village competition.

Agatha’s Spinach Quiche

6 slices bacon

4 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups light cream

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 of a 10-ounce pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 ½-ounce pkg. Melissa’s Dried Wild Porcini mushrooms

1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks (white part only)

2 cups shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese

1 9-inch deep dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Hydrate porcini mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water for 30-45 minutes.  Strain through a wire mesh sieve into which you have placed a double thickness of cheesecloth, or failing that, paper towels.  Save the liquid to use in other recipes, such as this one.  Rough chop porcinis.

While mushrooms are hydrating, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove to a paper towel-covered plate and drain.  Crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings and sauté the sliced leeks until opaque.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-covered plate and drain.

In a large bowl, whip together eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir in bacon, spinach, mushrooms, leeks, and cheese. Place pie crust onto a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet (to prevent any drips from burning) and carefully pour mixture into pie crust.

Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 45-55 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

This post is linked to:

Teach Me Tuesday

Inspire Me Tuesday

The Scoop

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Tasty Tuesdays

Tasty Tuesday

Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Happy National Pie (Pi) Day!

As if we need a day in which to celebrate pie, one is handed to us in this rather whimsical holiday combining an American favorite and a mathematical constant.  To be succinct — Pi Day.

Pi is the ratio used to compute the circumference, area, and volume of circles that works out to 3.141592653 for the first ten digits.  It's written using the Greek letter π and pronounced “pie.”  And because today is March 14^th, i.e. 3/14, well, you get the picture.

To aid you in your celebration, here are four delicious pie recipes -- one savory, and three sweet -- that will surely delight one and all.  Click on the links to bring up the recipes.

They are (clockwise from upper left): S’Mores Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, Six Layer Quiche, and Blue Heaven Key Lime.

 What are you waiting for?  Get baking!

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Be Inspired Friday

Show and Tell Friday 

Sweets for a Saturday

Sunday Sweeties

Seasonal Sundays