Quiche

Quiche is a type of savory pie typically served for brunch. It's base is made with eggs and milk then any combination of veggies or meat and cheese are mixed in. I wanted to make pie crust because I was doing my reacrch product on doughs and wanted to be more familiar with pie dough making. Coincidently food network magazine had a special feature last month on quiche so I decided to give that a shot and I'm glad I did because it was delicious. The only problem with this recipe is that it takes a super long time to make it. Pie dough generally takes a long time because it needs to chill for at least 2 hours before being rolled out. I think it would be a good appetizer for holiday dinners or something.

I was much happier the way this crust turned out than I was with the last crust I made for banana cream pie. This time I used all butter for fat in the recipe unlike the last pie that was a combination of butter and vegetable shortening. Apparently, the use of butter vs shortening is much debated in the pie baking realm. The argument is  butter produces a more flavorful crust while shortening yields a better texture. My suggestion would be to try both and decide for yourself.

Spinach Mushroom and Cheddar Quiche

Ingredients

1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

a couple handfuls baby spinach

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup (heaping) shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

salt and pepper

paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sautee the veggies with some oil and salt in a medium skillet until soft and the spinach is wilted. Once cooled, mix them with the cheese and spread in an even layer over the bottom of the pre baked pie crust.

In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and spices. pour this over the pie crust. Reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees and bake the pie for 40-50 minutes or until the filling is set. Let it cool 20-30 minutes before slicing, its very hot.