I Made My First Quiche

I know, it's hard to believe that with all the cooking I do I have never made a quiche before. I love quiche, and I have been buying farm-fresh eggs via a Storey employee from our local “egg man,” so I figured it was about darn time I made one!

I embarked on my first quiche-making experience last week.

I flipped through my cookbooks looking for a recipe. I had no intention of following the recipe exactly because I had planned to use up the ingredients already in my fridge. After all, the chances of my finding a quiche recipe with lamb chorizo sausage, Brussels sprouts, shallots, garlic, cheddar cheese, Gouda cheese, and feta cheese were slim to none.

What I had hoped to find was any recipe into which I could substitute my own ingredients in place of the ones called for. Oddly enough, both of the recipes I found in my cookbook collection had crab in them. I have never in my life been served a crab quiche or seen a crab quiche on a menu. However, I certainly plan to make the actual crab quiche recipe someday — sounds sooooo good! (I found the crab quiche recipes in Dishing Up Maryland and in Food to Live By — two of my favorite cookbooks).

I will admit, I did not make my own crust. I used a premade dough found in the freezer isle of the grocery store. It was good anyway . . . I mean, really, do I think my crust could top the Pillsbury Dough Boy’s?

While I was baking the pie crust, I caramelized the garlic and shallots, then added a little red wine and balsamic vinegar and reduced that down.

When the crust was done, I spread the garlic-shallot mixture on the bottom of the baked pie shell.

I then combined the mixture of eggs, milk, heavy cream, steamed and chopped Brussels sprouts, chopped chorizo sausage, and my three cheeses (cheddar, Gouda, and feta). I poured that mixture into the pie shell and over the shallot-garlic spread.

Before I placed the unbaked quiche on a cookie sheet and into the oven, I covered the edges of the pie crust with foil to avoid overcooking and burning them.

I brought all my eggshells and vegetable remains to the compost bin.

Sadly, I was distracted by a toppling Christmas tree in my living room and forgot to photograph the finished quiche or my plated dinner. The photo below is a cold, leftover slice I had the following day for lunch.

Have you made any special quiche lately? A crab quiche, perhaps? Let us know about your quiche-making experiences.

— Kristy L. Rustay, Marketing Manager