The thought of making quiche was on the back of my mind for a very long time. It got pushed back because every time I thought of the hassle of creating my own pie crust and pre-baking it , I would just simply brush off the idea. Plus it didn’t have the “sugary” element like how desserts usually entice me . But that weekend I knew I was going to put my heart soul and mind to baking this and so here we go !
There are tons of recipes out there and I was so spoilt for choices. But whenever I thought back to the last time I had an eggs Florentine, I knew that was THE deciding factor. Spinach was going to form the bulk of my quiche recipe. And alongside the star of this dish was going to be some sautéed brown button mushrooms, caramelized sweet onions, crispy bacon and of course tons of cheese ( I used mozzarella and parmesan).
Pan seared the bacon in their own fat to achieve that nice crispy skin. It’s already starting to smell good guys!
Being the usual me, ingredients were far more than the actual pie could actually hold. I was quite amazed that I managed to squeeze most of the ingredients into that tiny round pie. Filling in the nooks and corners of every available space like how I fit jigsaw pieces was actually quite my forte. That’s explains why I’m quite a good packer of things. Now now. Look at how much spinach was packed into a slice of that quiche.
This pie crust/quiche is one of my fav recipes and adapted from 2 of my all-time favorite chefs- Martha Steward and Julia Childs. How could anything possibly go wrong with their recipes. Anything… From start to finish, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of the buttery crust that lingers. I can almost taste it as I stood by the stove waiting for my darn onions to caramelize. It must have took ages. -.- The heat, the perspiration but I knew it was worth the wait. Patience that took that simple root and transformed it into something transparently mouthwatering delicious. With that I leave you with this simple recipe that you can whip up and impress your guests!
Pate Brisee Adapted from Martha Stewart and Julia Child
Makes one tart dough
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Form dough into a single ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator, and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
4. To par-bake the shell: Roll out the chilled dough as quickly as possible on a lightly-floured surface until is about 2 inches large all around than your pie pan. Either reverse the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the mold or fold it into quarters and lay it over the mold, unfolding it. Press the dough lightly into the bottom of the pan, lifting the edges and working it gently down into the mold. Trim off excess dough by rolling the pin over the top of the mold.
5. With your thumbs, push the dough 1/8-inch above the edge of the mold, to make an even, rounded rim of dough around the inside circumference of the mold. You can then press a decorative edge around the rim of the pastry with the dull edge of a knife. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork at 1/2-inch intervals.
6. Line the pastry with foil and fill it with pie weights, uncooked rice or beans and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the shell for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove it from the oven when the shell is just starting to color and just beginning to shrink from the sides of the mold.
7. If it seems to you that the sides of the shell are too fragile, or liable to crack or leak with the weight of the pie filling to come, do not unmold until your tart or quiche is filled and fully baked. To unmold it, slip it onto a rack so air will circulate and cool it, preventing it from getting soggy.
Filling
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium size onions, thinly sliced
3 slices of bacon
1/2 bag of frozen spinach, thawed
2 cloves of garlic
5-6 large mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper ( to taste)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 eggs
1 cup milk
Steps
1. Heat olive oil in frying pan. Add slices of onions and fry till onions are brown and soft ( abt 30-40 min). Take off heat and set aside
2. Saute bacon till crispy. Set aside and cut into cubes
3. Saute the garlic and mushrooms till soft. Add spinach and stir fry till spinach is slightly heated and cook. Set aside.
4. Fill the prebaked pie crust with the caramelized onions, spinach, mushrooms and bacon cubes. Sprinkle the cheese.
5. Beat egg with milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the pie and bake at 175 deg for 30-35 min until crust is golden brown. Serve warm 😉
