Mile High Quiche Recipes

MILE-HIGH ALPINE QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325. Cook bacon in a large skillet over moderately high heat until crisp; remove bacon to paper towel. Keep heat at moderately high and cook mushrooms in bacon fat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium; add onions and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and pepper; cool.
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over bottom of the Pastry Shell. Combine half and half and eggs; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in bacon, remaining cheese and vegetable mixture into eggs. Pour egg mixture into pastry shell.
• Bake the quiche for about 1 1/2 hours, or until brown on top and the custard is just barely set in the center. I wiggle it in oven and there is a slight jiggle to the middle section; this will finish cooking upon cooling. Let cool slightly in the pan to be able to carve nicely. Run a small spatula between the pan and the baked crust to make sure it releases from pan before removing springform pan latch. Cut quiche into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
• Make Ahead The quiche can be cooled and refrigerated overnight. To serve, first cut quiche into serving size wedges, place pieces on a baking sheet and bake 350 oven about 12-15 minutes until warm.
• 1. In bowl of Standing Mixer or a Food Processor mix flour and salt. While machine running, add butter til mixed in. Add water, half at a time just until thoroughly incorporated. Flatten the pastry into an 8-inch disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• 2. Set a 9-inch springform pan on a baking pan with sides, lined with parchment paper or foil. Spray the inside of the pan with cooking spray.
• 3. On floured board, roll out pastry into a 16-inch round; transfer to the springform pan and press it firmly up to the top of pan, trimming as necessary. Refrigerate the pastry for 15 minutes to firm up.
• 4. Preheat the oven to 375°. Line the pastry shell plastic wrap or parchment paper; fill the shell with dried beans or rice. (I save a whole bag of this stuff and reuse it all the time) Bake the crust for about 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Grab the plastic wrap or parchment paper and remove the beans. Bake crust for another 15 minutes until nicely browned. Cool Pastry shell. The pastry shell can be covered and held at room temperature overnight.

MILE HIGH SPINACH MUSHROOM QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set eggs and half and half on counter to bring to room temperature. With 1/2 T of butter, saute the onion and mushrooms till onions are translucent and mushrooms are browned. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat the thawed and drained spinach with the remaining 1/2 T of butter and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Combine with onions and mushroom mixture. Using an electric mixer with whisk, combine eggs and half and half. Whisk for at least five minutes. The yolks will become lighter and the mixture will be foamy on top. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Lay pie crust in TALL pie dish or 9 x 9 casserole dish. Crimp edges with fork or fingers. Spread 1/2 of vegetable mixture on pie crust and then pour egg mixture over it. Delicately add cheese and then the remaining veggies so that some is still suspended and floating. Bake for fifteen minutes at 400 degrees, then lower oven to 375 degrees for thirty to forty minutes or until center is cooked through. Allow to rest for at least ten minutes. Obviously any vegetable or cheese can be uses in a quiche. If you use asparagus or peppers, make sure they are cut in bite sized pieces. This allows the egg to rise around them. I've also used leftover phyllo dough. Just layer thawed sheets with melted butter and drape in pie dish. Pull pastry up and around the edges of the egg mixture before baking.

MILE HIGH QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fit the pie crust into the springform pan. Brush the pie crust with the egg white. Fry the bacon until crisp; drain and crumble. Sprinkle the bacon and then the green onions over the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the bacon and onions. In a large bowl add the whole eggs, egg yolk, salt, nutmeg, pepper, cayenne, and beat mixture until well combined, but not frothy. Slowly, pour the mixture over the bacon and cheese in the pie shell. Bake 50-55 minutes, or until top is a golden brown and puffy and the center seems firm when it is gently pressed with fingertips. Remove to a wire rack and let cool 15 minutes. With a sharp knife, loosen edge of pastry from the side of the pan, and gently remove side of springform pan. Leave the bottom of pan in place and put on a serving plate to serve. Serve warm. Serves: 6 to 8

SKY-HIGH BRUNCH BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Unfold pastry sheets. Roll out 1 sheet to 11-inch square; set aside. Roll out remaining sheet to 12-inch square; use to line bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan sprayed with cooking spray.
• Reserve 1 Tbsp. eggs for later use. Mix remaining eggs with ricotta, hot sauce and spinach. Layer half each of the bacon, cheddar, ricotta mixture and peppers in crust. Repeat layers.
• Cover with remaining pastry sheet; fold under edges of pastry, then tuck inside pan. Brush pastry with reserved egg. Cut slits in top crust.
• Bake 45 to 55 min. or until golden brown. Cool 10 min. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen crust before removing rim.