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Quiche "Formula" (D, TNT)
Source: A dog-eared copy of Moosewood Cookbook, circa 20 or so years ago!
Serves: 12

Basic 9" or 10" Crust:
1/4 cup (half a stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup flour, can be part whole wheat
Dash salt
3 tbsp. cold water, milk, or buttermilk

Basic 12" Crust:
Slightly less than a 1/2 stick butter
1-1/2 cup flour
Salt
4 to 6 tbsp. ice water

9" to 10" Quiche Filling:
1/3 to 1/2 cup cheese grated in the food processor
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cup milk, sour cream, yogurt, or fat-free evaporated milk
Sauté of sliced vegetables herbed, salted and peppered

12" Quiche Filling:
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated cheese
6 eggs
2 cups liquid as above
Sauté of sliced vegetables herbed, salted and peppered

Make Crust:
Use the processor to prepare the crust: dump flour, salt, and butter chunks in the processor. Give the gadget a whirl. Dribble in cold, cold liquid starting with lesser amount and adding until the dough sticks together. Whirr between additions.

Take dough out of processor. On a nicely floured tea towel roll out the dough until it is slightly larger than the pan. It should be about 1/8" to 3/16" thick. Transfer to pan and turn edges under, pressing against wavy sides of pan and cutting dough where necessary so that the edges are not too thick.

After preparing the crust, there are three more steps before baking the quiche at 375°F.

Make Filling:
First, sprinkle the cheese to cover the bottom of the quiche pan.

The cheese acts as a moisture-resistant barrier or seal so that the bottom crust doesn't get soggy. Recommended types of cheeses are Swiss (especially Ementhaler) or a medium-to-sharp cheddar.

Typically, I use whatever I have on hand.

Next, lay in the selected vegetables. Again, I use what I have on hand. The 12" quiche I just made used a sauté composed of a handful of blanched broccoli 'trees,' a sliced onion, approximately 10 large, sliced mushrooms, baby spinach leaves, and two sliced Roma tomatoes.

Added dill weed, and salt and pepper to taste.

The Moosewood Cookbook, suggests:
Spinach: 1/2 pound chopped and steamed spinach with sautéed onions, dry mustard, and nutmeg.

Mushrooms: 1/2 pound sliced, sautéed with scallions, oregano, and thyme.

Asparagus (8 to 10 stalks): Steamed, cut up, with tarragon and dill weed.

Broccoli: Chopped and steamed with garlic and lemon juice.

Snippets of fresh herbs with lots of sautéed onions and peppers.

Tomato slices gently sautéed in olive oil with basil and dill.

Marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.

Assembly:
After arranging the vegetables over the cheese, mix together the custard and pour over the pie. I like the liquid to line up with the top of the sides. Use 3 eggs and 1 cup liquid for a regular pie pan, 4 eggs and 1-1/2 cup liquid for the straight-sided quiche pan, and 6 eggs and 2 cups liquid for the 12" quiche pan. Dust the top of the quiche with paprika, if desired.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes for the smaller quiche, and approximately 45 to 50 minutes for the larger quiche. Be careful not to over bake, since it bakes outside of the oven until it is cool. The quiche should be set in the middle, but not rock solid.

Poster's Notes:
This is more of a formula and I vary it considerably and use it often, since I don't have to pre-bake the crust.

Use your favorite crust. The quiche works well with a golden vegetable crust, a cheese crust (add approximately 1/2 cup packed grated cheddar to the crust flour,) seeded cheddar crust (also include 2 to 3 tbsp. poppy, sesame, or caraway seeds,) nut, spinach, crumb, and a shredded potato crust.

Using the Moosewood Cookbook if you can make a pie crust (and I can) then you can make a quiche—a staple of provincial kitchens in France.

Skinny the recipe down, if you wish by using egg beaters, fake or low fat cheese, etc. You know the drill. Using a food processor makes preparation very, very, easy.

I use Molly Katzen's formula to make mine, and have enlarged the recipe to make sure that the contents fill the large ceramic quiche pan that I purchased to replace the Pfaltzgraff pan I used for 25 years! The new one is approximately 12" in diameter. The older one was approximately 9" or 10" across and straight-sided (wavy indentations were there, but definitely not a pie pan.)

Posted by Gloria Whitman

Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A