Once you have a basic crust and a basic custard filling mixture, you can improvise the other ingredients to your hearts content. I usually add shredded Jarlsburg cheese first for most quiches, then the other indgedients and then the custard.

A couple of combinations I like are red salmon (canned) with spinach and caramelized onions with mushrooms and parsley. The possibilities are endless, sorta like pizza.

"Official" quiche pans are nice but once, when I was cooking for a crowd, I used ready made crusts from the store. They were perfectly satisfactory for the occasion.

Here's one...not as big and fat as some...
1 9 inch pie crust ( do you need a recipe? 1 1/3 cups floue, cut in 1s tick of very cold butter with 1/2 tsp salt. Toss with 1 1/2 oz vodka and toss in enough water, 3 to 4 Tbs, to make it hang together...chill 30 minutes and roll out)
Into the crust put 1/3 cup grated chedder cheese
About 1 1/4 cups cooked broccoli very well drained
1 8 oz can of well drained sliced mushrooms, top with 1 cup of grated chedder and pour all over 1 cup of whole milk beaten with 3 eggs and 1/2 tsp worchestershire, sprinkle top with chopped dried parsley and bake at 375 for 45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Linda C

A loooooong time ago at some cooking demo event I went to with my mother, there was one guy who was demonstrating how to make a quiche. I don't remember what he was selling, but he kept repeating "five eggs and a cup o' milk". He said that so many times, my mother & I just cracked up over it.

Well, I never forgot it. I think FIVE eggs is probably too much volume for most ready made pie crusts (I usually use a ready made 9" deep dish), so I use THREE eggs. I eyeball the milk, but a cup is about right. After that you add in shredded cheese - Swiss is nice, but I use whatever cheese I have on hand, cheddar, jack, mozzerella all work great; and any ol' ingredients you like (as jimster said).

Then throw in cooked broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, any cooked meat you have on hand, etc, whatever! Quiche is one of the easiest dishes to make, AND it's very easy to keep it vegetarian which is nice. NO kidding, it's as easy as PIE!

You can add spices as you like (garlic powder usually makes its way into mine). I also like to top the pie with paprika before baking as it gives it a nice red color.

Oh, and I usually bake at 350 for an hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Those ready made pie crusts come in pairs so I usually make two at a time.

SALMON QUICHE WITH WALNUT CRUMB CRUST

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Pastry:
Easy - doesn't require rolling, just press down with fingers and back of a spoon into a 24 cm (9.5 inch) pyrex flan dish or pie plate.

1 - 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup walnuts finely chopped

Mix these ingredients in a bowl, cutting in butter with two knives until crumbly then press into a pie dish, including up the sides.
Bake in pre-heated oven for five minutes. Then remove from oven. Meanwhile mix the following ingredients in a bowl:

Filling:

3 eggs beat till frothy
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can salmon (7 3/4 ounces) - I prefer fresh piece salmon that has been baked - 'smoked salmon' is really good too.
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Pour these ingredients into the pie crust - bake in oven approximately 45 minutes or until knife inserted in centre comes out clean.
The top is usually a nice golden brown colour. If you don't have salmon on hand, tinned tuna works well too in this recipe, but salmon is better.

SharonCb

LOL, this is where I came in 5 years ago, right LindaC?

Here's one:

Red Onion & Cheddar Quiche and variations

Source: Vegetarian Society
Serves 4-6
Preparation time - 15 minutes
Cooking time - 40 minutes

Ingredients
tbsp vegetable oil
1 red onion chopped
4oz cheddar cheese grated
4oz tomato sliced
9 fl oz milk
3 eggs
fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Instructions:
- Pre heat the oven to 375°
- Pre-bake shell.
- Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onions for 3 minutes then allow to cool. Spread the onion over the pastry then cover with the sliced tomatoes.
- Sprinkle with the grated cheese and the parsley.
- Place the milk and eggs in a bowl and beat them together. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pour this mixture over the others.
- Bake for 30 minutes until set and golden.

Variations
Do it bistro style with artichokes and olives.
Rustic version with whole wheat pastry, broccoli and goats cheese.
Throw in some roasted peppers, vegetarian pesto and sun dried tomatoes.
Try asparagus with roasted almonds and garlic.

It might not have been clear that I was offering two examples, not one.

a.) red salmon and spinach

b.) caramelized onion, mushroom and parsley

Of course, there's nothing to stop you from throwing it all in, including the kitchen sink. It's your choice. Be creative. Keep color in mind as well as flavor. Quiche is a canvas. You are the painter. (Hey, that's kind of catchy!)

All the combinations above sound good to me. Walnut crumb crust is a must try. Lowspark says "easy as pie". Indeed! Even easier.

I will personally vouch for Sharon's Salmon Quiche with Walnut Crumb Crust! It's heavenly!

Sue posted this one quite some time ago and I have made it several times, too. Very good!

Hash Brown Quiche

3c frozen hash browns (Southern Style)
1 small onion, diced
1/3 c butter, melted
1 cooked ham steak, diced
8oz swiss cheese, grated
8oz muenster cheese, grated
2-1/4c milk or cream
6 eggs
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425F.
Mix together hash browns and onion
Press into 9x13 pan
Drizzle with melted butter
Bake 25-35 minutes until golden

Reduce oven temperature to 325F
Toss together ham and cheeses, place into hot crust
Mix milk, eggs and salt and pour into crust
Bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean

Let stand 10 minutes before serving

Linda

This one I've made many times:

Chicken and Cheese Quiche

1 9-10" regular pie shell (not deep dish)

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup heaping finely diced cooked chicken
2 green onions with tops, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. dry mustard
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/ cup grated Parmesan cheese (second amounnt)

Sprinkle first quarter cup of cheese into crust. Top with the chicken and the green onions. Add the salt, dry mustard, and pepper to the beaten eggs and cream mixture and pour it over the chicken and onion in the shell. Sprinkle top of quiche with the sliced almonds and the second quarter cup of cheese.

Bake in a preheated 425F oven for 10 minutes; reduce heat to slow oven temp of 325 and continue baking for 30 minutes, or until custard is set. To test for doneness, insert a knife in the center of quiche. If it comes out almost clean, remove pie from oven. It will set completely in a few minutes. Cut into wedges, serve warm. Serves 6-8.

Source: Informal Entertaining Country Style

I think after you make the basic custard you can add whatever you like. One tip, my wife always dusted the cheese,if she used it, with flour. She said it kept it from sinking to the bottom of the crust and she could make a wicked quiche with almost anything.

This is good!

Quiche Lorraine

For the crust:

1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
3 Tbsp iced water
Flour, for dusting

Egg mixture:

4 eggs
1 cup Half-and-Half cream
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch dry mustard
1 pinch paprika

For the filling:

6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped coarsely
1/3 cup diced yellow onion, sautéed until translucent
3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
3 ounces Swiss Emmental cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the crust: in large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the shortening. Add water to bring dough together. Roll dough out on floured surface and place into 9-inch pie plate.

Make egg mixture: in another bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, pepper, dry mustard and paprika. Set aside.

Assemble: sprinkle bacon, then onion, and then the cheeses on top of crust, saving 1 chopped slice of bacon for the top garnish. Pour egg mixture slowly into the shell to the rim. Sprinkle reserved bacon on top of quiche.

Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Then remove foil and finish baking for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yep. That's THE classic quiche. It's hard to do better than that.

Thanks for posting it. The thread wouldn't be complete without it.

I usually wing a quiche....but she asked for a "recipe"
For that you need to know how to make a crust....and remember the basic, to me, formula of cup of milk and3 eggs...
Fill the crust with well drained cooked veggies, meat like cooked bacon, cooked chicken, shrimp, crab, salmon...and grated cheese of almost any sort you can imagine.....then fill it all in with milk and egg.
Quiche...it's a good thing...( did I really say that???)
Linda C

I got the recipe a couple years ago. It's from an establishment down south who is very well known for their Quich Lorraine. I couldn't resist trying it.

Here is my current favorite. I love the tang of the feta with the sweetness of the roasted red pepper.

Jkom51Âs BILÂs Roasted Red Pepper/Feta Quiche

(1) Double Pate Brisee crust from Silver Palate for a 9x13 pan:

Ingredients:

3 C Flour
1 tsp Salt
pinch Sugar
1 1/3 stick butter, chilled (5.3 oz)
6 Tbsp Shortening, chilled
1/2 C ice water

Sift the flour, sugar and salt together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture is like coarse meal. Sprinkle on and blend in enough ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork. Turn dough out onto your work surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, about 1/4 cup at a time. Scrape up the smeared dough into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Unwrap dough, place on floured work surface, and pound it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it. Roll out 1/8-inch thick, or to desired thickness. Drape dough over a 9x13 Pyrex pan; ease it into the pan without stretching, pat into place, trim off excess, and crimp edge if desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F. Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and prick the bottom and sides well with a fork. Line the pan with foil or wax paper; fill with beans, rice, or pastry weights to weight the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the dough is just beginning to color. Remove from oven, remove weights and lining, and cool slightly.

(2) Filling

Drop oven temp to 375F.

1 small bunch chopped scallions, white and green parts (or onions species your choice)
1 bunch spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
8 oz feta cheese
Six eggs
1 C Half & half
1 Tbsp herb seasoning such as savory, thyme, Italian herb mix
Fresh ground pepper (there is enough salt in the feta)

Sauté scallions in butter/oil your choice until slightly wilted. Add spinach and further cook until wilted. Remove from heat and cool, move to a large bowl. Chop roasted red peppers and feta and add to the bowl. Mix in the eggs, Half and Half, and herbs/pepper. Pour filling into the baked crust, and bake 30 - 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven, serve.

Thanks everyone for the great recipes, tips and ideas. I guess I never realized just how easy it was. I will have to try it this weekend. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to all. Jackie

Decided to make LindaC's quiche recipe tonight for dinner. I decided to go crustless and it was wonderful! Thanks for the recipe. I winged it on the salt-I used 1/4 t. but would probably use a pinch more next time.

Tracey...guess what....I have quiche in the oven right now.

I use the basic egg mixture as suggested by Cook's Illustrated...

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1C milk
1C hvy cream
4 oz shredded Gruyere
S+P
dash of nutmeg

tonight's has added ham, onion and red pepper.

Nancy

Nancy,
Let us know how yours turned out! I'm curious since you've got twice as much liquid as mine and only 1 egg more. Oh, and how much salt did you use?

Tracey

Tracey, I used about 1/2 tsp. I just posted a pic on the WFD thread. It turned out very good. It's richer with the hvy cream and has a nice silky feel.

Nancy

Better late than never, right? I tried four of the quiche recipes that were posted here. Thanks so much for the recipes.

In the last week, I made the Chicken and Cheese Quiche from Teresa_nc7, the Salmon Quiche with Walnut Crumb Crust from Sharon, the Cheddar Chicken and Mushroom Quiche from Lindac, and the Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Quiche from Jessy. Wow!

They were all delicious in their own ways. However, I'm partial to feta and roasted red peppers. I halved Jessy's recipes but love the idea of being able to make the full recipe in a 9 x 13 pan for a crowd.

My kids liked the Chicken and Cheese Quiche best. The salmon quiche was elegant for serving to company. The Chedder Broccoli Mushroom Quiche was a good, mild vegetarian option but I probably would add ham or bacon and some onion for our family because we like strong flavors.

I made the crusts using a butter crust recipe for the food processor. The crust definitely added to the overall flavor of the quiches.

Now I feel like I have some go-to quiche recipes in my repertoire should I ever have an occassion that calls for quiche. Thanks again,

Kari

Yum! Ya'll have definitley inspired me to try making my first quiche as well. Does anyone know if it generally freezes well? If so, is it best to do so before cooking the filling or after?

Chrissy