I make a good quiche. My family loves my quiche. The exception is my daughter who for some inexplicable reason became lactose intolerant since college. I don’t know how I started making quiches. My mother never made quiche. In the Midwest in the 70s when I grew up quiche was not a common dish. I think that only in the last ten years did I get interested in making quiche when I began to be a serious student of cookbooks and having had some quiche at some church potlucks here in New England. It has become an easy dinner and “go to” dish when it is difficult to decide what to cook.

I have never been very good at pie crusts. I loved that one could buy the rolled up refrigerated crusts, first by Pillsbury and now store brands as well. Before that, there was a box of pie crust mix. This was as difficult as making crust from scratch. I also used the frozen crusts already rolled out into the aluminum pie tins. The bonus from those was the pie tin that could be used over again. My sister always made her own pastry crust. My mother had several recipes including a “no fail” crust that I had great success at failing at! One year my son and I made two pies, one with store bought crust and one with homemade. The difference in quality was insignificant according to the family taste-testers. Then my son went off to the Peace Corps and a fellow Volunteer shared with him a pie crust recipe using apple cider vinegar and egg. That recipe is a keeper. I admit I still buy the refrigerated kind from time to time for “emergency meals”. But that recipe makes three crusts and when I make a batch I have pie crusts in the freezer if I haven’t made too many pies. I either line an aluminum pie pan so it is already set up or roll them out and put them in a nine-in round cake pan until frozen and then put them in a freezer bag. They lie (or lay?) nice and flat until needed. Why I use this recipe? I can make it in my food processor!

Pie pastry from Emily, RPCV from Armenia (2011)

1 Cup Butter; 2 ½ Cups flour; ½ Tab. Salt: mix until fine meal

In a one cup measuring cup: 2 1/2Tab. Apple cider vinegar; 1 egg and mix with fork. Add cold water until all liquid reaches a full cup.

Slowly mix into flour/butter meal. Add small amounts of the liquid. You will have some leftover.

Makes three pie crusts.

My quiche recipe: 4 eggs and 2 cups milk or cream or half and half or combination thereof. For other ingredients add whatever you want. One of my favorites is spinach and roasted red peppers. I usually use frozen spinach that I pan sear to dry. Drain the red peppers. Add a few grinds of fresh black pepper and a few shakes of dried red pepper flakes. Another favorite is bacon, onion, and cheese. There are so many combinations to try. I have made a Greek themed one with black olives, oregano, and feta cheese. I may have added spinach to that one as well. Quiche Lorraine is made with bacon and cream. Cheese was a later addition. The amount of added ingredients should not overflow the pie crust. Bake 425 for 15 minutes and then lower temp to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes. For this quiche I used fresh spinach that I chopped and two mini red peppers that I sliced. I added two slices of fresh ham that I diced as well.

Served with a nice green salad and a glass of chilled white wine this made a wonderful summer dinner. There will be leftovers. Perhaps for breakfast?