Someone asked me the other day if I can eat these on a diet. Not a whole one, no.
I love to cook. Not just because I enjoy turning stuff into something yummy, but because I like impressing people. What makes staying disciplined relatively easy is cooking or baking makes me less hungry, not more. I also have other people around to eat all these things, so the last slice is usually well within safety margins. If there is one.
As is the case here.
Look, a quiche is one of the easiest things to make there is. Basically it’s standing scrambled eggs. What makes one so much fun is a crust, which means you can throw just about anything you want in there – making it a standing omelete. That’s simplifying things a bit, but think of it this way:
You’re 8, and mom dumps another gob of eggs on your plate before school. Or she takes a little more time and gives you this. Who has the coolest mom in school?
Feeding people is wonderful. It’s that extra step that makes them talk about the meal. Personally, I love food that’s simple and rustic. So when I want to make a quiche that makes people say “Wow!”, here’s what I do:
The one in the photo was made in an 8-inch medium-sized springform pan, so let’s go with that.
1 sheet of puffed pastry dough
8 eggs
1 cup half & half
½ cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
½ cup diced cherry tomatoes
1 cup bacon, semi-crisp (about 8 strips)
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 ½ cup goat cheese crumbles.
Roasted red peppers for garnish
- Spray the inside of the springform pan with olive oil, or lightly butter and flour
- Press the thawed pastry dough into the pan and up the sides until covered. Trim excess. You can actually use any unbaked pie crust or dough, use puffed pastry dough for the “rustic” look it gives.
- Fry bacon until chewy and let cool. Chop and set aside.
- Saute onions in bacon fat until semi-translucent, and add mushrooms. Let them cool slightly.
- Whisk eggs and half & half completely in mixing bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach, tomatoes, onion, bacon and mushrooms and pour into dough-lined pan.
- Top evenly with goat cheese, and place on center oven rack for 40-45 minutes.
When the pastry edges are browned and the center of the quiche still jiggles slightly when shaken, it’s almost done. It’ll continue to set when you take it out of the oven, so remove it and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Release the spring-form sides and lift from the base.
Serve and enjoy!
