Recipe of the Week: Quiche – the quintessential spring meal

Spring, the season of easy suppers, brunches and light lunches, is the perfect time for quiche.

I seem to be making a lot of them lately, varying the ingredients according to what’s available in my refrigerator.

For those who have never eaten one, a quiche is a single-crust savory custard pie or tart whose origins often are credited to the French, although the English have been using eggs and cream in pastry since the 14th century. Italians have been combining them since the 13th century, while some food historians credit the Germans with creating the first quiche.

While the most basic quiche includes cheeses with the cream/egg custard, the sky is the limit on what can be used. Meat, seafood and vegetables can be added to create whatever flavor combination you like.

My personal favorite calls for chopped onion, spinach, crumbled bacon and grated mozzarella cheese to be spread across the bottom of an unbaked pie crust, with the custard mixture poured on top. Other combinations can include salmon with spinach, leeks with mushrooms, and the famous quiche Lorraine, which calls for crumbled bacon.

I cook meats and vegetables ahead of time, wilting spinach and softening chopped onions for 30 seconds to a minute in the microwave. When I use sausage I chop it or pull it out of its casing to cook it loose in a skillet. That way I can get rid of any excess fat drippings.

Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making quiche; if you don’t want to make a crust from scratch, simply use one from the refrigerator section of your supermarket. The rest is fairly simple as long as you follow directions and use filling ingredients you like.

This basic quiche Lorraine recipe is from “The Joy of Cooking.” Change it to include your favorite add-ins.

Quiche Lorraine

1 unbaked pie crust

White of an egg – slightly beaten

¼ pound bacon

2 cups whole milk or cream

2 eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Fresh grating of nutmeg

1 teaspoon chives (optional)

½ cup diced Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the pie crust by brushing well with the slightly beaten egg white. Chop the bacon into 1-inch pieces and cook in a heavy skillet until the fat is almost all rendered out but the bacon is not crisp. Drain on a paper towel. Scald the milk or cream to hasten cooking time. To scald the milk or cream bring it nearly to a boil, remove from heat and let it cool down. Once the milk or cream has cooled slightly then beat it together with eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chives.

Sprinkle the cheese and bacon in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour the custard mixture over it and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. To test to see if the quiche is cooked insert a knife into the custard somewhat to the side and see if it comes out clean. The very center will continue to cook while the quiche cools. However, you should check it for doneness once it is at room temperature.

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