Sweet Vanilla Quiche Food

QUICHE RECIPE

Steps:

• I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin the quiche. Make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
• On a floured work surface, roll out one of the disks of chilled dough (use the 2nd pie crust for another recipe). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth. To make a lovely edge, I do not trim excess dough around the edges. Instead, fold the excess dough back over the edge and use your hands to mold the edge into a rim around the pie. Crimp the edges with a fork or use your fingers to flute the edges. Chill the pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days. Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than 30 minutes.
• While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 15-16 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all around the bottom crust with a fork. Return the pie crust to the oven. Bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. (Crust can still be warm when you pour in the filling. You can partially pre-bake the crust up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover cooled crust tightly and refrigerate until ready to fill.)
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
• In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper together on high speed until completely combined, about 1 minute. Whisk in add-ins and then pour into crust.
• Bake the quiche until the center is just about set, about 45-55 minutes. Don't over-bake. Use a pie crust shield to prevent the pie crust edges from over-browning. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Top with optional toppings before slicing and serving, if desired. Or you can cool the quiche completely before serving- it's fantastic at room temperature!
• This quiche makes great leftovers! Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

QUICHE WITH RED PEPPERS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, peppers and thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes more, until peppers are very tender and sweet.
• Turn up heat to medium-high and, a handful at a time, add spinach and stir until each handful wilts. If there is liquid remaining in the pan turn up the heat and stir while you let it cook off. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. If you are making filling a day ahead, refrigerate uncovered.
• Beat together egg yolks and eggs in a medium bowl. Set tart pan on a baking sheet for easy handling. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush bottom of the crust with some of the beaten egg and place in oven for 5 minutes.
• Add salt (I use 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, and milk to the remaining eggs and whisk together.
• Spread pepper and spinach mixture in an even layer in the crust. Stir together cheeses and sprinkle in an even layer on top. Very slowly pour in the egg custard over the filling. If your tart pan has low edges, you may not need all of it to fill the shell, and you want to avoid the custard spilling over. Place quiche, on baking sheet, in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until set and just beginning to color on the top. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

SWEET VANILLA QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Set a pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet; place the pie crust into it. Roll or crimp the edges of the crust.
• In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg yolks, sugar and flour until lightened and frothy, about two minutes. Add half and half. Split vanilla bean, scrape out seeds and add seeds to bowl; whisk until well-mixed.
• Pour custard into pie shell. (Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon if desired.) Bake in preheated oven 55-60 minutes until custard is puffed and golden. Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing; serve warm or at room temperature.

COWGIRL QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the chive pie crust: Mix the flour, chives and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and vegetable shortening and work them into the flour using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles tiny pebbles. Using a fork, stir in the vinegar, beaten egg and 5 tablespoons cold water. Stir the mixture until just combined. Shape the dough into 2 discs. (You'll only be using 1 disc for this recipe. You can wrap the additional dough in plastic wrap for storage; it will keep up to a week in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.)
• Have ready 2 sheets of parchment paper that are each at least 12 inches square. Place the disc of dough between them. (If the dough is sticky for any reason, don't worry. Just sprinkle some flour on the parchment to get started. You shouldn't have to add much for it to stop sticking.) Starting at the center, roll the pin out to the edge. Turn the dough and parchment as necessary and continue rolling, always from the center to the outer edge. After a couple of rolls, lift the parchment paper away from the dough to loosen and replace the parchment. Flip the whole thing and loosen the other paper sheet. Continue rolling until the dough is large enough for your pie pan.
• For the filling: Slice the leeks thinly, and then soak them in cold water for about 10 minutes to remove any grit or dirt. Drain well.
• Put the mushrooms on a large baking sheet. Roast until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, saute the leeks in the butter until golden brown and beginning to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
• For the quiche base, add the cream and eggs to a medium bowl and whisk them to combine. Stir in the leeks, mushrooms, grated Swiss and some salt and pepper. Mix in the pesto and prosciutto. The mixture should be very thick!
• Pour the mixture into the pie shell, then cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent it from getting too brown on top. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the quiche to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
• Place the quiche on a cutting board and slice wedges with a serrated knife. Delicious for breakfast, and even better for lunch with a salad and a bunch of juicy grapes!

SAN JOSE QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine the first 8 ingredients in a skillet. Cook until meat is browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain the grease from the skillet. Stir in salsa. Set aside.
• Place half the tortillas in the bottome of an ungreased 11 x 7 x 2 inch baking dish. Spread half the meat mixture over the tortillas. Place half the green chile strips over the meat mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers once.
• Combine eggs and milk. Pour egg mixture over the baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until eggs are set and lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with salsa and avocado.