29 June 2009

A quiche for my brother

So my brother just called for our family's spinach quiche recipe. Living away from home for the first time, he's getting to learn how to cook for himself--and in my mind, he couldn't have asked for a better "beginner" recipe. This quiche always gets rave reviews and it is so easy to make! It's been a favorite in the family for as long as I can remember, and we love serving it up with some grilled Italian sausages and a salad for an easy weeknight supper (though this would be excellent for breakfast or brunch too).

As a little girl, I loved peeking through the oven window, watching the quiche rise, full of eager anticipation. When it came out of the oven, puffed and golden, the aroma of buttery crust, earthy spinach, and creamy egg and cheese would fill the house--but we had to wait for it to set. Patience! Once I urged my mother to serve it right away, but instead of receiving a lovely wedge on my plate, I ended up with a spatula-full of scrambled quiche. I learned early: you really do have to let it cool a bit!

I must say, though, that if you're truly in a hurry, please don't use a store-bought crust! There is a better short-cut: you can skip making the pastry crust and substitute a large flour tortilla. It's not as delectable as the pastry version, but it is definitely a time and money saver and is much healthier to boot!


Pastry Crust

1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
4 to 5 Tbs. ice-cold water

Sift together flour and salt in bowl of a food processor, then cut in butter using short pulses till flour mixture resembles cornmeal. Sprinkle one tablespoon of water at a time over the mixture and gently pulse. Repeat until all is moistened. Roll into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, then flatten into a disc. Refrigerate till cool, about 20 minutes.


Spinach Quiche Filling

5-6 eggs, beaten
4 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. gruyère and cheddar, grated
8 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained

Roll out cooled pastry crust to fit the bottom and sides of a 10" quiche pan. Line pan with crust. Mix filling ingredients together and pour into the crust; bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes, until the center has puffed up. Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm making it again tonight! woohoo

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