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!

Cauliflower Quiche

Does the sound of cauliflower just not thrill or excite you very much? Give it a chance!  I decided to experiment tonight. I had a whole head of cauliflower in my refrigerator just begging to be used for something or throw it out!  Here's what I came up with:

CAULIFLOWER QUICHE

2 cups cauliflower florets, broken up into small florets

1/3 cup of sliced or slivered almonds

1 Tbs. butter

2 green onions, tops and greens sliced thinly

1 small clove garlic

2 cups of cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Asiago cheese OR Parmesan

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups of milk (try not to use skim in a quiche)

1 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. of oregano

2 Tbs. flour

1 big spoonful Dijon mustard

1 nicely frozen, ready to use, why make your own, deep dish frozen pie crust!! lol

 

• Steam the cauliflower florets in the microwave for about 4 minutes until soft. Drain well and set aside. 
• Melt the butter and brown the almonds, remove them from the pan to a small dish and set aside.
• Add a bit of olive oil to the same pan and saute the green onions and garlic for a minute or two to soften.

Assemble all of this on a baking sheet on your counter.

• Using a pastry brush, spread about a Tbs. of Dijon mustard around the bottom and sides of the crust.
• Layer the cauliflower in the bottom of the pan.
• Top with your sauteed onion/garlic mixture, and then distribute the shredded cheddar over the vegetables.
• Sprinkle half the toasted almonds over the top of the cheese.
• Whisk together the 3 eggs, milk, salt and pepper, oregano, and flour and pour over the top.
• Sprinkle with the Asiago or Parmesan and sprinkle with the remaining almonds.

Carry it over to your oven which has been preheating at 375 degrees. If some of the filling does not fit, don't stress.  Bake for about 55 minutes, maybe a few minutes less. The top will be beautifully browned, puffy, and delicious looking! I am serving this with a combination salad of romaine, fresh spinach, tomatoes and fresh blueberries with raspberry vinaigrette. But if blueberries are not in season, switch that out for diced pears or apple.

Have you tried my Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Quiche ???  It is delicious!  This recipe and a hundred pages of great recipes, stories and photos are included in my cookbook, "Singingirl Cooks!" It's for sale.  If you don't own a copy and would like to, ask me!

Very, very good!

Broccoli and Swiss Cheese Quiche

This has been a rough month to say the least! Whadda way to start the new year with my mother in and out of hospitals and rehab. I think I have managed to cook twice this month, this quiche being one of those times.  One of the best things about making a quiche is that you probably have just about everything you need to throw one together at any time... that is, if you keep frozen pie crusts around, and of course I do. Remember what I said in my book, I like a break once in a while too! And really, those frozen pie crusts are pretty darn good.  Combined with a great salad, dinner's ready in no time. Okay, so on with the recipe:

BROCCOLI AND SWISS CHEESE QUICHE
Cover the bottom of a one frozen deep dish pie crust shell with 2 cups of grated Gruyere or any good swiss cheese. If you like, you can use part swiss and part cheddar, your choice. Set aside.

Saute in a Tbs. of olive oil 1 small finely chopped onion, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning or your favorite herb blend, S&P,  and about 1 1/2 cups of chopped broccoli, stems and florets, until soft. Spread over the cheese. Set aside.

Mix together in a blender or with a wire whisk:

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of milk
3 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard OR Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. hot sauce

Pour this mixture carefully over the cheese, onions and broccoli.  A little bit of the filling might not fit. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 55 minutes. A knife should come out clean when tested.  The quiche will be beautiful, puffy and golden brown on top from all that Parmesan you put on top, but will deflate as it cools. Serve it hot out of the oven, or just warm, or have it cold for breakfast.... really good!

Tip: Place the pie crust on a cookie sheet before setting in the oven, and you'll avoid any unwanted spills.

You can view a previous blog entry from September of 2009 entitled Yummy Pictures From the Book Singingirl Cooks for a look at some of the dishes in my book, and of course you know it's for sale. Just ask me!

Thanks and see you next time!