Quiche Lorraine dougherty
This is a variation of Quiche Lorraine that's easy to make & tasty. 

A Variation of Quiche Lorraine

A Variation of Quiche Lorraine

Quiche is such a versatile dish because you can literally fill it with almost anything. This is a variation of Quiche Lorraine that’s easy to make & tasty.   While I love the classics, sometimes I like to add things that make me feel a little less guilty about indulging. I also have cut the fat down (except for the crust) in this recipe, but you can certainly use heavy cream if you wish. The intent is to use fresh vegetables, but you can also use frozen spinach. Just make sure you really squeeze out the water.

 

INGREDIENTS

For the Crust

1 cup all purpose flour
1 sticks of ice cold butter
1/4 cup ice water
pinch of Himalayan sea salt

For the filling

3 large eggs beaten
pinch of sea salt
1 cup of cream (or a 50/50 mix of cream and half & half)
pinch of white pepper
1 bunch fresh spinach (we used a cup of Spanakopita)
2 cups of cheese (we used Organic Mexican blend)
pinch of ground nutmeg

Optional

1 large Florida Ruskin tomato
8 oz of COOKED bacon
1 large onion
1/2 lb Gruyere, or other nutty cheese

METHOD

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Working quickly, dice the butter and place in a food processor with the flour. Buzz until the butter is the size of peas. Slowly add the 1/4 cup of water and keep buzzing until it comes together as a ball of dough.  Remove dough from food processor and place in a plastic zip locking type bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While dough in in fridge, make the egg custard by combining the 3 beaten eggs, sea salt, white pepper and nutmeg.  Set aside.  Take dough out of refrigerator and place on clean counter or large cutting board.  Take a rolling pin and pound out the dough into the basic shape of the deep pie baking dish you’ll be using.  Then roll the dough out into a circle between about 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick.  Roll out dough as needed to completely cover the diameter and depth of the baking dish  Roll up the pastry around your rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate.

Add the spinach and cheese. (and other optional items)  Pour the custard over the top and tap the crust that sits on the rim of the baking dish with a fork.  Using a pastry brush, paint the top rim of the crust (with the fork marks) with the same egg custard mix for a golden brown color. Bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.18

About Elizabeth Dougherty

Elizabeth Dougherty has been cooking and writing about food intensively for more than ten years. She is the fourth generation of chefs and gourmet grocers in her family with her mother, Francesca Esposito and grandmother, Carmella being major influences in her early cooking years. As a teenager, her family sent her to Europe where she became focused on French and Italian cuisine. She survived a year and half of culinary tutelage under a maniacal Swiss-German chef and is a graduate of NYIT, Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business and Labor Relations. Food Nation Radio has won two news awards for content. Broadcasting LIVE each week, nationwide, on FoodNationRadio.com and on stations around the country.

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