The first party I gave was a brunch in the 80s. My Mother suggested I make a quiche and sent me her recipe on an index card. Remember when everyone put recipes on index cards? Quiche is French in origin and was widely popular in this country until a silly book came out that suggested real men do not eat. But I continued to eat it and have made this same recipe – with a few tweaks – ever since.
Quiche is so versatile – I make several different quiches and use different ingredients, but I always come back to Quiche Lorraine. And you really only need a few ingredients.
I use 3 eggs, 1 cup of half and half, red pepper, onion, ham, 6 ounces of swiss cheese, nutmeg, parsley and your favorite unbaked pie shell. Before I tell you how to make it, let me say a word about the ham. I buy a small smoked sliced ham from the meat department. I find this ham better and a better value than ham from the deli department. And I use this same ham for sandwiches, croque monsieur – just about anything.
Into a large bowl, put 6 ounces of grated swiss cheese and 1 ½ – 2 cups of diced ham (I like a lot of ham) and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and add 1 cup of chopped yellow onions. Sauté for 3 minutes then add ½ cup of diced red peppers.
Cook for 5 minutes more then take off the heat to cool slightly. Meanwhile beat 1 egg yolk and 2 eggs with a dash of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl (I use a 1 cup measuring cup). When the onion mixture has cooled slightly, add to the ham and cheese mixture with 2 tablespoons of flour, a few grates of nutmeg, ¼ cup of chopped parsley and stir well.
Heat the half and half until hot but not boiling. Temper the beaten eggs with some of the hot half and half then add that to the rest of the half and half, whisking all the time. Pour this into the bowl of the other ingredients and stir. The hot half and half with begin to melt the cheese and it will smell heavenly already. Now pour into your favorite unbaked pie shell. Be sure to move the ingredients around so they are evenly distributed, and each slice will have all that goodness.
Put in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for 50 – 55 minutes or until it looks brown and delicious. Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
And that is it. All you really need to serve with this is a mixed green salad with vinaigrette dressing and maybe some crusty French bread. I hope you will try this method and enjoy it as much as my friends and I have for years.
Quiche Lorraine
Serves: 6-8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50-55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces of swiss cheese
- 1 ½ – 2 cups of diced ham
- 1 cup of diced yellow onion
- ½ cup of diced red pepper2 eggs, 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup of half and half
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- Grated nutmeg
- ½ cup of chopped parsley
- Unbaked pie shell
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine grated cheese and diced ham in a large bowl and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet, add diced onions and sauté for 3 minutes. Add diced red pepper and sauté for 5 minutes longer. Set this mixture aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Once cooled, added the vegetables to the ham and cheese mixture along with the flour, parsley and a few grates of nutmeg and stir well.
- Beat the eggs with a dash of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Heat the half and half until hot; temper the eggs with a little hot half and half then add the eggs to the rest of the half and half, whisking all the time.
- Add the egg mixture to the ham and cheese mixture and stir well.
- Pour into an unbaked pie shell and cook for 50 – 55 minutes.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.