Quiche: Are You A Real Man?

When I was in high school, I remember a book titled "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche".  In addition to not eating quiche, the book contained all sorts of things real men don't do.  Anyway, to test out the title of the book, I hunted down a recipe for quiche (and crust), made a quiche, and fed it to Dad.  His response, "Junk this stuff.  Who like eat that kine?"  So if one uses the book title as a guide, Dad is certainly (or at least in the 80's) a real man.  Yay!!!  My daddy is a real man!!  Yay!!!

Now, 20-something years later, in addition to being a barometer of man-ness, I've found that quiche is also a great way to use leftovers.  With a basic formula of eggs, milk, and assorted fillings, you can make a quiche that will not only fill you up, but it will also make some room in your fridge.  While there are traditional quiche (Quiche L'orraine, for one), making quiche really is an opportunity to showcase your creativity, not to mention, your leftovers.

The most important part of quiche is the filling.  And here is where your creativity/leftovers come in.  You may use vegetables or meats.  If using vegetables such as celery, onion, beans, asparagus, spinach, etc., they should be sauteed and/or wilted before using in the quiche.  Nobody wants to bite into a raw onion in the middle of a quiche.  Meats (ham, bacon, crab, shrimp, etc.) should be cooked prior to using.  Swiss cheese is the traditional ingredient in Quiche L'orraine, but other types of cheese also work well:  cheddar, jack, colby.

The quiche in the picture was made using leftover crab (from a copycat Thanh Long Roasted Garlic Crab), bacon, and cheddar cheese.  It was absolutely decadent.  Because I didn't add any vegetables in the quiche, a green salad sitting shotgun was a great accompaniment.  And no, I did not invite Dad over for dinner.

click recipe title for printable recipe
Quiche

     2 cups "filling" (saute/cook first, then measure)

     1 c shredded cheese

     1 1/4 c milk

     2 eggs, beaten

     1 tsp salt (omit if "filling" ingredients are salted)

     1 9" unbaked pie or quiche shell

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place filling in an even layer in pie/quiche shell.  Sprinkle cheese.  Combine milk and eggs.  Pour over cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

If filling (after cooked) is less than 2 cups, you may need to add double the eggs and milk.  If this happens, bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

When I was in high school, I remember a book titled "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche".  In addition to not eating quiche, the book contained all sorts of things real men don't do.  Anyway, to test out the title of the book, I hunted down a recipe for quiche (and crust), made a quiche, and fed it to Dad.  His response, "Junk this stuff.  Who like eat that kine?"  So if one uses the book title as a guide, Dad is certainly (or at least in the 80's) a real man.  Yay!!!  My daddy is a real man!!  Yay!!!

Now, 20-something years later, in addition to being a barometer of man-ness, I've found that quiche is also a great way to use leftovers.  With a basic formula of eggs, milk, and assorted fillings, you can make a quiche that will not only fill you up, but it will also make some room in your fridge.  While there are traditional quiche (Quiche L'orraine, for one), making quiche really is an opportunity to showcase your creativity, not to mention, your leftovers.

The most important part of quiche is the filling.  And here is where your creativity/leftovers come in.  You may use vegetables or meats.  If using vegetables such as celery, onion, beans, asparagus, spinach, etc., they should be sauteed and/or wilted before using in the quiche.  Nobody wants to bite into a raw onion in the middle of a quiche.  Meats (ham, bacon, crab, shrimp, etc.) should be cooked prior to using.  Swiss cheese is the traditional ingredient in Quiche L'orraine, but other types of cheese also work well:  cheddar, jack, colby.

The quiche in the picture was made using leftover crab (from a copycat Thanh Long Roasted Garlic Crab), bacon, and cheddar cheese.  It was absolutely decadent.  Because I didn't add any vegetables in the quiche, a green salad sitting shotgun was a great accompaniment.  And no, I did not invite Dad over for dinner.

click recipe title for printable recipe
Quiche

     2 cups "filling" (saute/cook first, then measure)

     1 c shredded cheese

     1 1/4 c milk

     2 eggs, beaten

     1 tsp salt (omit if "filling" ingredients are salted)

     1 9" unbaked pie or quiche shell

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place filling in an even layer in pie/quiche shell.  Sprinkle cheese.  Combine milk and eggs.  Pour over cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

If filling (after cooked) is less than 2 cups, you may need to add double the eggs and milk.  If this happens, bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.