Friday, April 29, 2011

Swiss Cheese Quiche With Ham and Butter Browned Onion Rings



Where do I come up with the names for these recipes?  Far reaching imagination. Possibility Thinking, my friends!  And the title does completely and thoroughly describe the deliciousness of this creation.  Here's how it happened.  A Marie Callender's frozen deep dish pie crust in the freezer, leftover spiral sliced ham from Easter Sunday. (You might ask, what is a nice Jewish girl like Singingirl doing with a ham in her refrigerator?  Answer, my Pianoman is a nice Irish boy....) Okay, pie crust, ham, a block of swiss cheese, fresh basil needing to be used.  Plus, I haven't posted a recipe in so long, I almost forgot my username and password.  If you have looked at one of my other recipes for quiche on the blog, you will see that the basic recipe for the custard remains pretty much the same, with a little tweaking here and there.  It's the extras that make each of them unique.  So, whether you like broccoli or cauliflower quiche, or if my newest creation appeals to you with deliciously browned onions, finely chopped, extra lean ham, and seasoned with fresh basil, one thing is clear. The possibilities are limitless for creating a perfect tasting quiche! Think of it and make it.  I did!

SWISS CHEESE QUICHE WITH HAM 
AND BUTTER BROWNED ONION RINGS
1 deep dish frozen pie crust (of course, you can make your own... but why!!??)
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
1 Tbs. butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 8 oz. block of swiss cheese, shredded
1/2 cup of finely chopped, lean ham (of course, my vegetarian friends can omit this)
1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh basil (or use 1 tsp. of dried)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk (I used fat free, it works great)
3 level Tbs. of flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the bottom and sides of the pie crust with the dijon mustard and set aside.  In a small pan, melt the butter and season the onion rings with salt and pepper. Brown the onions on medium heat, stirring, until the onion rings are browned but not burnt and are nicely softened. Remove from heat and set aside for a moment.  Spread the shredded swiss over the bottom of the prepared pie crust. Distribute the finely chopped ham, browned onions and basil over the cheese.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper.  Whisk until light and frothy, and then carefully pour the custard over the top of the quiche.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese (my secret for the nicely browned top that you see in the pictures.)   Transfer this to your preheated oven without spilling, haha.... not easy, and bake for nearly 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  Today, my baking time was 53 minutes.

Try this, or one of my others from the blog, and let me know how you liked it.  I love comments, and would love to hear from you.  Thanks for stopping by!