Universal Quiche from The Tightwad Gazette
Quiche can be an often economical dish depending on what you add. What's great about a quiche is you can practically use anything in your refrigerator to make one.
Amy Dacyczyn wrote about a Universal Quiche in her Tightwad Gazette book, and with it she gave multiple variations on how to create them.
For the crust Amy suggested using a standard pastry crust, but she also suggested this recipe for a pie crust using rice.
Rice Crust
1 & 1/2 ounces of hard cheese
(cheddar, swiss, monterey jack)
1 egg or 2 egg whites
2 cups rice
To assemble: Mix all together, pat into a 9 inch pie plate, and bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
The Quiche Recipe
Eggs
Use 3 or 4 eggs
Cheese
Most recipes call for 1 to 2 cups of a grated hard cheese or anywhere from 2 tablespoons up to a half cup of parmesan cheese. Amy used about 1 cup.
Milk
You will need 1 to 2 cups of milk, half and half, cream, evaporated milk, or powdered milk. I use sour cream in my Easy Sausage Quiche.
Fillings
Use 1 to 2 cups of a combination of vegetables and cooked meats. Suggestions include bacon, seafood, chicken, ham, or sausage. Don't be afraid to take risks though. Use what you have on hand.
Seasonings
For a basic quiche use up to 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Other seasonings can include chives, hot sauce, tarragon, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce ,parsley, sherry, parsley, paprika, dill, garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, basil, or oregano.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Prepare the crust and place in a nine inch pie plate.
Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together.
Spread filling ingredients on the crust.
Top with grated cheese.
Cover with egg and milk mixture.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425 then turn down the oven to 350 and bake for 45 minute or until golden brown.
If you're interested in lowering the fat content of your quiches, be sure to read the article Amy wrote in The Tightwad Gazette as she lists multiple ways to reduce the fat content of quiches.
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
This is a great recipe to have on hand, Especially the rice crust to use leftover rice. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYears ago, I made Amy's rice crust with quiche. It tasted horrible to me, and I have never done it again. Did I do something wrong? Has anyone made the rice crust recipe and liked it? I am an Amy fan, so I am not an Amy complainer.
DeleteYou're welcome, Anne. I agree on the pie crust made with rice as I don't always have flour or a pie crust on hand.
DeleteAnna, what kind of cheese did you use? That might have had something to do with it. I don't like a lot of the flavor of hard cheeses or even soft for that matter. I don't care for hot pepper cheese, feta, blue cheese, etc. I do like sharp cheddar though. It's my favorite.
DeleteI knew you were my daughter! My mother loved sharp cheese. Too many years ago when I made the rice crust to recall cheese in crust, but I do recall that I always used Swiss cheese in the quiche.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Anna. I do love sharp cheese. LOL
DeleteThat is always my clean out the frig dinner! So good.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, Cheryl. :)
DeleteI make a quiche nearly every week. I need to hunt out Amy's books and reread them.
ReplyDelete