A Forgotten Quiche

I was cruising through some of my old recipes, when I was reminded of a post that I was going to do but never got around to. We made this quite a while ago and I took pictures and everything, but it just never made it to the blog. So yippee, I have a recipe to post without having to do any work for it!

This is another universal recipe from the Tightwad Gazette - Universal Quiche. You can put just about anything in a quiche and have it taste good, as is evidenced by my offering here tonight - we made it with canned salmon and green beans and it was really good. So here you go - the recipe for Universal Quiche, quoted from Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette. My additional comments are in italics and parentheses.


Universal Quiche

Crust. Use a standard pastry crust. Some recipes suggest prebaking this before filling to prevent sogginess. I don't. Instead, I prepare the crust, then prepare the various components of quiche, and then assemble the quiche all at once just before putting it on a lower shelf in my preheated oven. You can also make a rice crust using 2 cups of cooked rice, 1 1/2 ounces of grated cheese, and one egg. Combine the ingredients, pat into a Pam-sprayed pie tin, and prebake at 425 for 15 minutes or until just firm.

Eggs. Use 3 or 4.

Cheese. Most recipes call for 1 to 2 cups (4 to 8 ounces) of a grated hard cheese. I use about 1 cup. You can use Swiss, cheddar, feta*, Monterey Jack, or Gruyere*. Or use from 2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of Parmesan or Romano. Or use a combination of these. Some softer cheeses, such as mozzarella and American, will not set up well (I have used mozzarella in combination with another cheese, like cheddar, with satisfactory results).

Milk or cream. Use 1 to 2 cups of milk, half and half, cream, evaporated milk, or powdered milk made with half the usual water. You may also use part sour cream, cottage cheese, or yogurt.

Filling. Use 1 to 2 cups of a combination of meats and/or vegetables. Meat possibilities include crisply fried and crumbled bacon, or pieces of crab*, lobster*, shrimp*, tuna, chicken or ham (and I can add salmon, having tried it and liked it). Use virtually any cooked or steamed vegetables, but squeeze out excess liquid. Don't be afraid to take risks. Once I made a sauerkraut quiche that was very tasty.

*Ha ha. Only if you have a free or cheap source of these items.

Seasoning. For a basic quiche, use up to 1 teaspoon of salt (bearing in mind the saltiness of the other ingredients), 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and a dash of nutmeg (I usually skip the nutmeg). If you're a bit more adventurous, experiment with other seasonings such as chives, Tabasco, tarragon, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, parsley, paprika, dill, garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, basil, and/or oregano.

To make the quiche: Prepare the crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Grate cheese and prepare the filling ingredients (saute, cook, chop, crumble, etc.) Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together until just combined. Spread filling ingredients in crust, top this with grated cheese, and cover with egg/milk mixture. (If you've made too little egg/milk mixture, mix up slightly more. If you've made too much, toss the surplus in tomorrow morning's universal muffin recipe.) Bake for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 425 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until it's done. The quiche is done when it's golden brown and slightly puffed, and when a knife inserted comes out clean.


In a later article, Amy shares this recipe for a low-fat potato crust, which I used in my salmon and green bean quiche: In a 9-inch pie pan, stir together 3 tablespoons vegetable oil with 3 cups of coarsely shredded raw potato. Or you can spray Pam in the bottom of a pie pan and omit the additional oil. Press the grated potato into a pie-crust shape. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown.

Sigh. It feels good to post a real recipe again. :-)

And now I'm craving salmon quiche.