As promised last week, here's another addition to our list in an effort to convince Whitney that eggs are a good thing to eat - a mushroom quiche. So what makes this one different than the last one you ask? It has a higher egg to cream ratio, using half and half rather than whipping cream, and the cheese is cubed instead of grated which makes for a lighter, fluffier pie. Don't believe me, then try it for yourself and see what I mean.
When grated cheese is added to quiche, it melts as one heavy mass rather than in "pockets" of yummy goodness, and the custard mixture sits on top of the melted mass. By cubing the cheese, the custard surrounds it resulting in a lighter, less dense texture.
For this particular quiche, sweet onions are sauteed until transparent, then sliced mushrooms are added - hey if they weren't we wouldn't be able to call it a mushroom quiche. Make sure you don't crowd the pan or the mushrooms will never brown. Cook them until they release all of their liquid and they're nice and brown. I finished them with a little dry sherry, giving them another minute on the heat until the liquid is gone leaving the sherry flavor behind. This step is purely optional. It just so happens that I have a ton of sherry in the cupboard and and a strange mentality. Somehow I think if you add booze to a dish, it's gotta' make it better. Good thing prohibition's a thing of the past! Download Mushroom Quiche
Be sure to blind bake the pastry shell, before you add the ingredients. It helps keep the bottom crust crisp. Per usual, you can use a swiss cheese instead of gruyere, or even another kind of cheese. I prefer not to use "light" cheeses because they melt differently - some of them don't melt at all - which seems almost sacreligious to me. Also if you're using cream anyway, what difference does it make to the calorie count - not enough to care about, that's for sure. Have you ever read the labels and noticed what little difference there is between whole milk cheese and the diet stuff? Not much, but there sure seems to be a difference in flavor. Guess that's why I'm always on a diet. I like the good stuff too much.
As you can see, I served the quiche along with some asparagus wrapped in partially cooked bacon, then baked in the oven for 10 minutes. Had to give the man some meat. When I asked the big guy which "pie" he liked best, he said he liked the flavors of this one and the "manly" texture of last week's. What can I say? He likes his eggs cooked hard and steak blue bloody rare; hates most green vegetables; likes most fruit, drinks dusty martinis, hates pie with icecream....mmm....and so it goes.
Regarding next week's "eggventure", I could sure use some inspiration. What's your favorite egg dish? Inquiring mind wants to know. Sweet or savory - just lay it on me! Get it???? LAY...eggventure...oh what the heck.
If you're feeling really henspired, you could make deviled eggs! (you're not the only one who can pun ya know..lol)
Great tip about the cubed vs. shredded cheese. I learn something every day when I come here. Your quiche, I mean pie, looks fantastic.
Posted by: Mags | 08/25/2009 at 12:04 PM
Ha, ha - henspired. Good one! Boy, ya' gotta get up real early in the morning to get ahead of you, Woman!
Posted by: JBug | 08/25/2009 at 01:30 PM