Mushroom, Leek and Asparagus Quiche
This quiche is a nice combination of ingredients for any Spring gathering. Would be great for a brunch, too.
Mushroom, Leek and Asparagus Quiche
1 unbaked pie shell
2 T. oil or butter
1 c. sliced leek- white or light green part only
4 oz. sliced mushrooms- I used baby Portobello
8 oz. asparagus, trimmed and sliced
4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
2 T. flour
3 eggs, beaten
¾ c. half and half
1 T. fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Roll out crust to fit a 9 or 10- inch tart pan. Place crust in pan and trim edges. Chill crust until ready to use. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In skillet, heat oil or butter and cook leeks until tender. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are golden. Set aside. Steam asparagus for 3-4 minutes, or until just tender. Set aside. Combine flour with cheese and toss to coat. Spread cheese in prepared tart shell. Top with the mushroom and leek mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Combine the eggs with the half and half, dill and hot sauce. Pour over the mushrooms mixture in the tart shell. Add the asparagus. Place in preheated oven and bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Turn down heat to 350 and cook for 20-25 minutes longer, or until crust is golden and filling has set up. Serves 4-6.
* While I would normally use a more traditional pie crust, I ended up using the dough I normally use for my kolachy. It was leftover and seemed like a nice choice. The kolachy dough is 3 sticks of softened butter, 8 oz. of cream cheese and 3 cups of flour. Mix all ingredients until smooth and chill until ready to use. It was leftover, so hard to say how many crusts a full recipe would make. I would think you could easily get three crusts from one recipe. You can, of course, use your favorite pie crust recipe.
Crock Pot Quiche
This recipe was inspired by a friend baking a pecan pie in crock pot. I was intrigued. If it worked for pie, would it work for a quiche? I had to find out. I followed his directions as best I remembered them.
I started by spraying the inside of the crock pot with non- stick baking spray. I am sure I could have oiled it instead, or maybe rubbed it with butter. Then I placed the pie crust in- trying to fit it as best I could. It was pretty easy. I added the fillings like I normally would. I put on the lid and set it on high. I let the quiche bake for 90 minutes- then gave it a look. It was set, but the crust needed a little more time so I let it go another 30 minutes.
It worked!! A perfectly “baked” quiche in the crock pot.
OK- I can hear the question you want to ask-how do you get it out? We had errands to run so I turned it off and left it in the crock pot, uncovered, for an hour or so. It was still warm. I loosened the edges of the quiche. Then I removed the crock from the base. I placed my hand on the top of the quiche and turned the crock over. It came out right into my hand and I placed it on a serving plate. A little of the crust crumbled- but it mostly held together. Next time I might try 2 spatulas. I suppose I could have just sliced it right in the crock pot, too. Hindsight….
I made my quiche from lambsquarters. It’s a common weed, and tastes a lot like spinach. It is also growing all over my yard. I like the idea of harvesting a volunteer veggie from my yard. You could certainly use spinach instead.
Lambsquarters Quiche
1 unbaked pie crust
3 c. shredded cheese, divided
2 T. flour
1 leek, white part only, sliced and sauteed in oil until tender
4-5 cups lambsquarters leaves, washed and steamed until wilted
3 eggs
1 c. milk or half and half
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
For conventional cooking preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place crust in a 9-inch deep dish pie pan. Toss 2 cups of the cheese with the flour and place in pie crust. Add the leeks and lambsquarters. Combine eggs with milk and seasonings, beat until smooth and pour over the ingredients in the pie crust. Top with remaining cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake 45 minutes to an hour. Check quiche for doneness by inserting a knife off center. If it is clean quiche is done. Serve 4-5.
Crock pot directions: Coat the inside of the crock pot with non- stick baking spray, butter or oil. Roll out pie crust and place in crock pot- crust should be at least 1-inch up the sides of the crock pot. Toss 2 cups of the cheese with the flour and place in pie crust. Add the leeks and lambsquarters. Combine eggs with milk and seasonings, beat until smooth and pour over the ingredients in the pie crust. Top with remaining cheese. Put the lid on the crock pot and set it on high. Let the quiche bake for 2 hours. Leave it in longer, if the crust is not brown enough.
Spinach and Artichoke Quiche
If you are still looking for something to make for Mother’s Day- why not make a quiche? I love quiche. It is a perfect dish for any time of the day. It is also so versatile. You can really get creative with the ingredients you put in your quiche. As an added bonus- quiche freezes well. I can make a couple, and freeze one for a day when I am too busy to cook. Leftover quiche is a favorite breakfast of mine. too.
I had planned to make a quiche with artichoke hearts. Seemed like a nice, Spring kind of dish. When I was starting to put the quiche together, it occurred to me that I also had a bag of spinach.
Made sense to put the two together. Sort of like spinach and artichoke dip. Why didn’t I think about this sooner? The combo made for a wonderful quiche.
I used about a pound of fresh spinach, cooked, drained and chopped, but a box of frozen spinach would work, too.
Here is the recipe.
Spinach and Artichoke Quiche
1 unbaked pie crust – enough for a deep dish pie
4 oz. diced cheddar cheese – I like a sharp cheddar
2 T. flour
1 lb. fresh spinach or 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, cooked, chopped and squeezed dry
3-4 artichoke hearts, drained and chopped coarsely (about 1/2 of a 14 oz. can)
1 c. milk or half and half
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
Hot pepper sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
In 9-inch (deep dish) pie pan place the crust. Toss cheese with the flour and place in crust. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts. Combine milk with the eggs and add seasonings to taste. Pour over the spinach mixture. Place pan on a baking sheet to collect any drips and place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn down oven to 325 and continue baking until quiche is firm near the middle, about 25-30 minutes more. To test for “doneness” insert a butter knife about an inch from the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean, the quiche is done. Serves 4-6.
Ham and Asparagus Quiche
Ham and Asparagus Quiche
I had some fresh asparagus and wanted to make something special with it. I decided to make a quiche. I also had some ham, so combining the two ingredients in a quiche seemed like a good idea.
It was a very good decision.
Quiches are so versatile. You can fill them with almost any ingredients. They can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. You can also bake it right away, or freeze it for later. I often make two quiches, just so I can freeze one for later use.
The mix of ham, asparagus and Havarti cheese worked well together. You could use any number of cheeses that you like. Swiss would be nice, Gruyere or even a sharp cheddar would also work.
I use a homemade crust, but you can use a store bought crust, if you prefer.
Ham and Asparagus Quiche
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
1½ c. shredded cheese – I used Havarti
4 t. flour
1½ c. diced cooked ham
12 oz. asparagus, trimmed, cut in ½- inch pieces and steamed 3 minutes
4 eggs
1 c. milk or half and half
2 T. fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
¼ t. salt
1T. Dijon mustard
1 t. hot sauce
Toss cheese with flour in a bowl and place in pie crust. Sprinkle the ham and asparagus over the cheese and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl beating well to combine. Pour over the ham and asparagus mixture and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn down heat to 350-degrees and bake until knife inserted off-center comes out clean, about 30 minutes more. Makes 1.
Note: This quiche freezes well. After adding the fillings just wrap in heavy foil and freeze solid until ready to bake. When ready to bake unwrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes. Bake as with the fresh version, but add another 10-15 minutes to the baking time. If you don’t want to freeze the pie pan, you can line the pie pan with foil before you add the crust. Once it is frozen you can remove the frozen quiche from the pie pan and wrap, returning to freezer. When ready to use unwrap and put the quiche back in the pie pan before baking. Or, if you are planning on freezing it, you can use a foil pie pan.
Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
The cold winter this year has really got me craving comfort foods. Also have a real taste for some childhood favorites. My mother used to make some really good quiches. Always a home made crust. I used what I had on hand the other day to whip up this quiche. Thought of her when I made it.
Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
1 unbaked pie crust
1 T. oil
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 oz. diced Swiss Cheese
2 T. flour
1 c. milk or half and half
3 eggs, beaten
In skillet saute onion in oil until tender. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach and set aside. In 9-inch pie pan place the crust. Toss cheese with the flour and place in crust. Add the spinach mixture. Combine milk with the eggs and pour over the spinach mixture. Place pan on a baking sheet to collect any drips and place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn down over to 325 and continue baking until quiche is firm near the middle, about 25-30 minutes more. To test for “doneness” insert a butter knife about an inch from the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean the quiche is done. Serves 4-6.
Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
