Quiche Basics

Today, I made a quiche with roasted turkey, chèvre cheese, tomatoes, and parsley. (Total Approximate Cost for 8 reasonable or 4 large servings: 4.56€!)

It's a relatively low-labor, fast, refrigerator-friendly, and easy French dish made with a few basic ingredients and uses up any leftovers you may have. If you are able to buy a store-bought pie crust with no MSG and trans fats, it can also be made with a store-bought pie crust. Here is a healthier version of a flaky, whole wheat, "no-butter" quiche crust: 

Crust

Ingredients (Total Approximate Price: (~0.57€)

2 c. (4dl) whole wheat pastry flour (~0.25€)
1 tsp. salt (~0.01€)
2 tsp. sugar (~0.01€)
3/4 c. (1dl and 3 tbsp) canola oil (~0.15€)
4 tbsp. milk (~0.15€)

Directions

Mix flour with salt and sugar in a large bowl. 

Mix oil and milk with a separate bowl then add to the flour mixture. 

Stir the dough with a fork until it starts to form large clumps. 

Press the dough into a ball then flatten it to form a 5-6 inch (12.7-15.24cm) "pancake". 

Roll out the dough between sheets of plastic or wax/parchment paper. 

Peel off the top sheet and flip the dough into a 9-inch pie pan or tart pan. 

Remove the other sheet and press the dough into the pan. Trim if necessary.

To "blind bake" quiche crust, "dock" the dough (by poking it with a fork several time to let off steam as it bakes) then put parchment or foil on top of dough. Fill the parchment/foil with dried beans. Bake in a 350F (176C) oven for 8-9 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment/foil then return to oven to brown for 3-5 minutes. Add quiche filling (see below) then follow directions for baking the quiche.

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Quiche

Ingredients (Total Approximate Cost: (~0.99€)

1/2 cup (1dl) heavy cream (~0.40€)

1/2 cup (1dl) milk (~0.30€)
2 eggs (~0.25€)
1/4 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt (adjust depending on your personal taste and your filling combination) (~0.01€)
Freshly grated nutmeg (~0.03€)

Directions

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, beat eggs along with the cream and milk. 

Once thoroughly combined, add the salt and nutmeg. 

Whisk to combine.

Preheat your oven to 350F (176C). 

Evenly distribute the quiche fillings in the crust (see below for filling options). 

DO NOT overfill the crust with the fillings since the eggs will expand and overflow as the quiche bakes. 

DO NOT pour too much of the liquid into the crust. 

Bake the quiche for 40-45 minutes until set like JELL-O. 

Let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting into the quiche to make sure it is set.
 

Tried and True Quiche Filling Options (Total Approximate Cost: ~1.50€ - 3€): 

• Sauteed onions, bacon (or "lardons" if you live in France), and Parmesan/Comté/Swiss cheese (any hard cheese will do) (~1.50€)

• Smoked salmon, parsley (or cooked spinach), and blanched or canned white asparagus (~3€)
• Roasted turkey, chèvre cheese, parsley, and tomatoes (~3€)
• Canned artichoke hearts, cooked or thawed frozen spinach (make sure it's dried!!!), and Parmesan cheese (~3€)
• Gruyere cheese, sauteed leeks, and bacon (~3€)

• Cooked spinach, sharp cheddar cheese, and cooked ham cut into cubes (~3€)

• Thawed frozen spinach (dried thoroughly!!!) and Swiss cheese (~2€)

(Be creative and try your own combinations as well! Just make sure not to use non-crumbly, soft cheese like mozzarella... otherwise your quiche will be extremely gooey and cheesy, unless, of course, you're into that stuff.)

Pie (or π) Day

Today is March 14, otherwise know in the U.S. as "Pi Day" since in America we begin dates with the months before the day, resulting in the number combination of March 14th looking like this -> 3.14 or the abbreviated form of the mathematical π. In Europe, I guess this can't apply since today's date looks more like 14.3... which doesn't really stand or anything. Maybe it took me 14.3 seconds to run the 100meter dash in track and field or maybe I was able to jump 14feet 3 inches in the long jumps, but otherwise, 14.3 is rather irrelevant.

Still, having spent a good 20 or so years (a.k.a. 95% or more) of my life in the U.S., I'm still very used to writing the date starting with the month, not the day. So, I have my own personal celebration and what better way to celebrate "π" than with a pie?! Being in France, I guess I should call it a "tarte" since the French don't really have "pies" as we know it in America. Also, due to ingredient unavailability, it's hard to cook American pies (or American food in general) in France. What to do? When in Rome, do as the Romans! I made a Crème Brûlée Pie (Burnt Cream Pie... sounds horrible in English, doesn't it?), or Tarte au Crème Brûlée.

I even caramelized the sugar topping to get that crunchy loveliness... otherwise known to me as the best part of a crème brûlée or eating a crème brûlée is cracking the hard sugar topping with a spoon and eating the creamy deliciousness inside. ♥ I think I'm in love! It was absolutely delicious! And my roommates (who are both French) practically inhaled it so no more leftovers remain. Luckily, I did snap a shot of the finished pie slice before it was devoured.

Today's Random Quiz:

You Are Cooking

You are a very generous and caring person. You love to make other people happy, and you love to give. You are content when you are busy with projects. You enjoy working with your hands. You are both intuitive and creative. You are good at figuring out how to make things work, and you love to experiment. You may be only following recipes for now, but eventually you'll be creating your own amazing, original meals.

What Hobby Are You?