And the best part? Quiche is ridiculously easy to make.
So, when the latest chapter in the Snowpocalypse of 2014 meant that I got to spend the morning home with the dog, a pot of coffee, and Olympic hockey, I knew a bowl of cereal wasn't going to cut it.
I was lucky enough to have a good mix of ingredients laying around just begging to be made into a quiche and that was all the incentive I needed.
I had 5 or 6 slices of bacon in the fridge, so I started by cutting it into 1/2 inch pieces and fried them over medium-high heat until almost crispy. Then I removed the bacon from the pan, and drained all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan, being sure to leave the little crispy bits behind, too.
While the bacon was cooking, I had minced 3 cloves of garlic that I then sautéed in the bacon fat. After it started to get soft and fragrant (about 1 minute), I added an 8 oz. container of sliced, fresh mushrooms to the pan with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. I sautéed them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and covered them after they started to look cooked on both sides, to let the steam help them soften completely and to marry the flavors.
Meanwhile, I set the oven to 350 and made the egg mixture. Usually three eggs and 1 1/2 cups of half and half is the perfect amount if you have a regular pie dish, but I only had a really shallow pre-made pie crust in a pan in the freezer (note to self: be more specific when sending the hubby to get pre-made pie crust... I'm a big fan of the Pillsbury pie crusts). And if you're like me, and love your quiche packed with yummy ingredients, you'll want to cut the liquid down by 1/4 or so.
A note about the half and half: you can get away with using whole milk if that's all you have, it just won't be as creamy. Some recipes call for straight up heavy cream, but I like to at least pretend that I'm being health conscious sometimes. ;-)
I beat the eggs and cream together until well-blended, with some freshly ground pepper and sea salt added as well. We have some smoked sea salt in our salt cellar at the moment so I added a pinch of that, too.
Assembly is easy: put the bacon and mushrooms in the bottom of the crust, grate some cheese on top (I used a blend of Cabot's Seriously Sharp cheddar and asiago). About 1/4- 1/2 cup of grated cheese is good... I usually eyeball it. Then pour the egg mixture on top.
The final, secret ingredient to an amazing quiche is a sprinkling of nutmeg on the top. The sweet, nuttiness is the perfect flavor to offset the richness of the egg and dairy.
Pop that baby in the oven for 20-25 minutes (35-40 for deep dish) until the quiche is set, and you're done!
Remember that you can sautée some chopped broccoli, red peppers, onion, etc. Whatever you have laying around. Mix up the cheeses too: smoked Gouda, American, Parmesan, feta. If you like it in an omelette, it'll be awesome in a quiche!
Asiago-Cheddar Bacon Mushroom Quiche
1 pre-made pie crust
5-6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz. of sliced, fresh mushrooms
1/2 tablespoon of butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup of half-and-half
1/4-1/3 cup of sharp cheddar/ asiago cheese blend, grated
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook bacon over medium-high heat until almost crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Drain oil from the pan, leaving behind about 1 tablespoon.
2. Sautée garlic in bacon fat until soft and fragrant (2-3 minutes). Add butter and mushrooms. Sautée over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When mushrooms look cooked on both sides, cover and sautée until softened and cooked through.
3. Mix eggs, half-and-half, salt and pepper in a bowl until well-blended.
4. Place pie crust in pie pan. Place bacon and mushrooms in the bottom, followed by the grated cheese. Pour the egg mixture on top and sprinkle with nutmeg.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes (35-40 for deep dish) until eggs are set and starting to brown on top. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
