Tomato and Fresh Corn Quiche

This recipe was meant to make a pie. A pie filled with tomatoes (intriguing), Cheddar (getting even better), and gobs of mayo (ick!).  I'm sure that such a creation would taste good, but I can't bring myself to bake or eat such a mayo-heavy dish. So that's why my tomato pie became a quiche. A lovely cheesy quiche filled to the brim with grape tomatoes, sweet corn, caramelized onions, and fresh herbs. And a rich and flaky butter pie crust (in which I successfully replaced most of the flour with whole wheat). If you're trying to save some calories you could ditch the crust altogether. I've been known to go crustless on occasion. I served this for dinner, alongside a balsamic-dressed salad of baby greens, shredded carrot, red onion, and dried cranberries. As a main dish it could probably stretch to serve four. Should I admit that ours didn't go near that far?

Tomato and Fresh Corn Quiche

INGREDIENTS
1 butter pie crust (I replaced 1 cup of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat and had to use slightly more water)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 ears corn, kernels sliced off
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 packed cup sharp white Cheddar
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare crust according to recipe directions. (Make sure to pre-bake the crust for 10-15 minutes in a 450 F oven until lightly browned.)

2. To caramelize the onions, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and soft and golden brown, about 25-35 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to prevent burning.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Scatter onions in the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Top with the tomatoes, corn, basil, and chives.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the eggs, milk, and cheddar. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour over the filling.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, until the center is set and the top is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes a 9-inch round quiche.

(Adapted from Eat Make Read)

Spinach, Green Onion, and Smoked Gouda Quiche

I didn't realize how atrocious my grammar was until I started blogging. Blogging is like writing in a journal, except there's one big difference: the whole world (or at least a few people) will read it. You have to worry not only about what you say, but how you punctuate and spell it. And you become suddenly aware of your imperfections. I'll be honest, when I sit down to type a post I'm usually focused on being expressive and creative. And I assume that spell-check will catch my mistakes. Not so. On occasion (when boredom strikes) I read through old posts and encounter all the grammatical errors I've shared. They're everywhere! Each improperly used pronoun or misplaced comma makes me cringe slightly upon discovery, but then I fix them and move on. And hope that someday I'll learn how to spell.

And so I officially apologize to all my past English teachers and to you, my readers, for my writing blunders. You put up with a lot. I swear I read through posts before they're published. But I guess that's the hazard of self-editing. Much eludes me. But I didn't start a blog to share poetry or short stories or anything more than recipes, really. We're both here for the food, so let's focus on that, shall we? (I know you'll all be searching this post for errors now that I mentioned them. Today calls for triple-editing!)

Now for a word or two about this quiche. It's wonderful. Delightful. Makes for an outstanding breakfast or brunch. Though, personally, I'd be happy to devour it any time of day. I've determined that anything containing smoked Gouda tastes good. It just has to. If you are trying to save a few calories, you can forgo the flaky butter crust. Skip steps 1 & 2 and just lightly grease a pie dish and pour the filling in. It should take approximately the same amount of time to bake.

Spinach, Green Onion, and Smoked Gouda Quiche

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe butter pie crust
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
3 large eggs, whisked
1 cup milk
packed 3/4 cup smoked Gouda, grated
dash freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare crust according to recipe directions.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute several minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped spinach to wilt.

4. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, cheese, nutmeg, salt, and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the spinach mixture. Pour filling into the crust.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes until golden brown and the center is set. Cool slightly before serving.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from Cooking Light)

Caramelized Onion Quiche

What's Easter without quiche? It was quite the production, but I managed to produce this multi-step dish before noon on Sunday, and called it Easter brunch! A flakey buttery pastry shell is filled with sweet caramelized red onions (spritzed with balsamic vinegar), eggs, and sharp Gruyere. For me, a devoted caramelized onion lover, it was heaven. I shared of course (with my husband and parents), but I was very unladylike and by far ate the most! I don't make such devilishly rich dishes very often, and so I indulged. I wish it wasn't gone. It may not be quick or easy enough for every day, but once and a while, it's definitely worth the effort. A similar recipe that I plan on someday sharing can be found here at Smitten Kitchen. It's a Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart. A friend of mine made it and I ate it. And it, too, is awesome!

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe all-butter pastry crust
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. red onions, thinly sliced (2-3 large onions)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 cup milk (I used 2%, don't use skim)
3 large eggs
pinch nutmeg
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) Gruyere, grated

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pastry according to recipe directions. After it has chilled in the fridge, roll out the dough and press into the quiche/pie pan you are using. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes while you are caramelizing the onions.

NOTE: I only let mine sit in the freezer for about 10 minutes, but I recommend this step as it ensures that the butter is cold when it goes into the oven and results in a flakey crust!

2. To caramelize the onions: Preheat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and golden brown (this will take 40-50 minutes). (Reduce the heat slightly if they are starting to burn.) Add the balsamic vinegar and continue cooking another 5-10 minutes until they are completely caramelized. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. To prebake the pie crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the crust with parchment paper and place baking weights inside (dry beans, rice, etc.). Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the parchment and baking weights. Prick the bottom several times with a fork. Return to the oven to bake for 10 more minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.

4. To assemble the quiche: In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the bottom of the prebaked crust. Place the caramelized onions overs the cheese and top them with the remaining cheese. Pour the egg mixture over top. Place on a large baking sheet (in case of spill-over) and transfer to the 350 F oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the center is just set and the top is golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 1 quiche.

(Adapted from Simply Recipes)

Spinach "Brownies"

It's surprising that spinach can taste this good. You're probably thinking that "brownies" is a deceiving description of anything that contains spinach. These might not be sweet, but they are still a treat. The original recipe called them brownies and the name stuck. They're spinach bars made much like a quiche, but with a thicker, brownie-like batter. Traditional brownies are tempting, but I have a lot harder time not devouring a pan of these in one sitting than resisting their chocolate cousins.

INGREDIENTS
10 oz. fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter or grease a 9x13 baking dish.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add spinach and saute until limp.

3. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the spinach mixture and mozzarella.

4. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, until the center is set. Serve hot or cooled.

Serves 8.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Quiche Lorraine

UPDATE: 2/22/09 I made this quiche yesterday morning for Sunday brunch. I used a pre-made whole wheat crust I had in the freezer, but honestly I think I'll do without next time. This dish is rich and so delicious (even more so since I used heavy cream)! I think Dustin enjoyed it-he took the whole half of the pie that was left over in his lunch today...didn't leave me a speck!

Confession: I didn't make this quiche. I ate it though. And I wish I had made it because it was incredible! And I will be making it very soon. I might try it without the pie crust, because with quiche its all about the filling! According to Betty Crocker the essential ingredients in "Quiche Lorraine" are bacon and Swiss. But we're not stopping there... we'll add ham and green onion and peppers. Then bake it in eggs and cream until its an enticing golden brown.

INGREDIENTS
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 cup (4 oz.) Swiss cheese, grated
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup ham, minced
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup half and half
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

DIRECTIONS
1. Bake unpricked pastry shell for 5 minutes at 425 F.

2. Remove from oven and arrange cheese, bacon, and ham in bottom of shell. Sprinkle with green onion and green pepper.

3. In medium bowl combine eggs, half and half, lemon peel, salt, and dry mustard. Pour evenly over cheese mixture.

4. Bake at 325 F for 45 minutes or until set. Remove from heat and let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 1 9-inch quiche.

(Recipe courtesy of Diane Blodgett)

Crustless Spinach Quiche

This is my favorite way to eat spinach. Combine Popeye's staple with mild Muenster cheese and you won't feel like you're filling up on a vitamin-rich vegetable. I was first introduced to Muenster when a college friend (living in the dorms) took a hunk of it out of her mini-fridge and offered me a slice. Impressed by her ability to scarf down thick chunks of cheese, I decided it must be worth trying. One bite and I was elated- I had found my soul mate of cheeses. Whether it is sliced (awesome for sandwiches) or shredded or melted or eaten by the block it is fantastic!

Crustless Spinach Quiche

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic. minced
10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs, whisked
2 cups Muenster cheese, grated
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie pan.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend.

4. Scoop into prepared pie pan. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 1 9-inch round quiche.

(Adapted from All Recipes)

Broccoli Cheddar Bacon Quiche

When I have lots of time on Sunday mornings I like to cook breakfast. Something beyond the regular bowl of cereal or plain toast. This quiche would work for any meal, but I felt extra healthy incorporating a vegetable so early in the day. The overall result was decadent enough that I had to practically remind myself I was eating broccoli. I served it with a side of vanilla yogurt and strawberries.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups (fresh or frozen) broccoli florets, chopped
6 strips bacon
1 cup milk
3 large eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 9-inch whole wheat pie shell (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Fry bacon in skillet or microwave until crisp. Blot with paper towels to remove excess grease. Let cool then crumble. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, cook broccoli until tender; drain well.

4. Combine milk, eggs, butter, flour, salt, pepper, bacon crumbles, broccoli, and 3/4 cup cheese in a bowl. Blend together gently. If using a crust, sprinkle half of the remaining cheese over the crust. Pour egg mixture into pie shell or dish. Top with last bit of shredded cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the quiche is set and the top is golden brown.

Serves 6.

(Adapted from Whole Foods Market)