Who says real men don't eat quiche?

Quiche is another one of those things that you either love or dislike.

For me, Quiche is a lovely thing to savor.  It wasn't my first impression that had me on the road to making my own.  In fact, I really disliked it.  Quiche Lorraine was not my favorite, even though it was at a very nice restaurant in Georgetown.  So, it wasn't until many years later that I had to opportunity to try it again, and I was surprised to find that it wasn't that bad after all.  And YES!  Real men eat quiche!  If you like omelets, you'll like it also.  It's not that much different.  The one thing you have to ask yourself is what do I like in my omelet.  The one above has caramelized sweet onions, wild mushrooms (wild meaning other than button or portabella), and a tiny bit of shaved sweet potato.  This is topped with shredded Italian cheese and custard.

You may have notice my quiche is in a pre-made pie shell.  I use a Keebler Shortbread crust (Ready-Made).  It tastes wonderful and it's so easy!  You could even do this on an RV trip, it's that simple. 

There are different types of custard recipes you could use.  You can use all egg yolk for a firmer textured quiche, or go with half yolk and half whole egg which is more fluffy.  The other factor that is a variable is the milk, or cream.  I prefer regular milk, though 1% can also be used.  If you do go for the lighter milk, add an extra egg.  Either way you go, the real flavor depends on what else you put into your custard.  Here is the custard I like:

1    cup whole milk

2    jumbo or 3 large eggs

2    egg yolks

1/8 tsp each salt, cayenne, and ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients well.

The rest of the ingredients are up to you.  When using "hard" vegetables, such as carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, or yam, you need to saute them first.  Onions or mushrooms can be either sauteed or left raw but chopped or sliced thin.  Other veggies like eggplant, avocado, cooked or pickled artichoke hearts, tomato slices, or asparagus (softer vegetables), may be put directly into the pie shell.  Other things like smoked or cooked salmon, crisp bacon, ham, pepperoni, or even sliced hard boiled eggs can be arranged directly into the shell.  Get creative. There is a lot of different foods that go well in a quiche.  Sliced or grated cheese can be either placed on the bottom of the pie shell, or the on top of the main ingredients.  Make sure that what you do put in does not over fill the crust.  It should just reach the top of the crust on the side, or lower.  Once you have all of your main ingredients in, pour the custard over top of it all.  I like to have enough custard to spill out on the edge a tiny bit. 

Cook in a preheated oven of 375 degrees, until the custard has an even, light brown color on the top.  About 35-45 minutes.

While the quiche is cooking... make a nice salad, or slice some fruit to complement this dish. 

The wine:   Whites would go fine, especially a nice Riesling or Gewurztraminer.  Beings I'm such a red wine fan though, I chose the 2007 Bourgogne, Pinot Noir (Pee-no no-WAHR) from France.  It's a light red with a hint of cherry.  Any Pinot that has a light body will go with this dish.  Burgundy would also go well if you are having a meat heavy dish.  Beaujolais, Gamay Beaujolais, or a Beaujolais Nouveau would also work.

Enjoy!