I love quiche - it is my favorite comfort food. I mean, a pie filled with breakfast food - what's not to love? But that is just for starters ... it's tasty hot or cold, works for any meal, easy to prepare and can transform leftovers into something new and wonderful! You can change the cheeses and fillings and choose from an infinity of flavors by doing so. The only constants in my quiches are the eggs and the presence of onions - outside of that, anything goes!
On Monday night, I made a quiche for dinner - not only was it tasty and satisfying, it utilized a lot of leftovers hanging about. Back in May (the 21st to be precise - the day they predicted the Rapture) I hosted a ham dinner (which I, and unrepentant heathen, christened Hampocalypse or Hammageddon in honor of the Rapture.) Yes, the primary reason was to get together and share food with some really good friends, but my secondary purpose was to stock my freezer with leftover ham! All of the leftovers from Hammageddon were sliced and then chopped into cubes for future appearances in omelettes, home fries, pasta dishes and, of course, quiches!
But there were other delicious leftovers, too. What about the sharp white cheddar left over from when I made the Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits the other day? Now, I only had 4oz of cheese left and I would normally use up to double that amount, but with the flavorful ham, I really didn't think it would be missed. And I normally use caramelized onions in my quiche, but instead of carmelizing onions just for the quiche, I found a great way to make use of the delicious Onion Confit I made! Easy quiche just got easier! I tossed all of my fillings into the pie crust and then tossed it into the oven - there is no standing over a quiche, you can relax while it cooks.
Scott and I enjoyed it hot (along with some Butternut Squash Soup!) and then I packed away the leftovers. I had a slice for breakfast the next day, reheated at about 350 for 7 minutes in the toaster oven at work - my coworkers get insanely jealous when they are pouring cereal for themselves and I whip out a quiche that looks and smells divine! But I think it tasted the best when I ate it cold last night for dinner.
The temperatures in NJ have been absolutely ridiculous for the last few days - in NJ, we should not be hitting triple digit temps in early June! Gah! As a result of the excessive heat, humidity and sudden weather changes, I had a nasty sinus headache all day yesterday - when I could finally leave work for the day and escape to my apartment to lay down, food was the last thing on my mind. But around 9pm, still too headachey and miserable to cook, I needed to eat something. I scarfed down a few mini-pretzels while thinking of something easy and cold - I felt too crappy to make anything even the slightest bit complicated and it was too hot to eat anything warm! And then I remembered the quiche. Comfort food as simple as grabbing a slice from the fridge and attacking it with a fork - winning!
And it freezes like a dream, too. In fact, I brought the two remaining slices with me to work today - one will be lunch (along with some leftover and frozen Tomato and Roast Red Pepper Soup) and the other will go into the freezer for a future lunch or breakfast. I just wrap them in foil and toss them from the freezer into the oven/toaster oven when I want one!
So there you have it - easy, tasty and convenient - quiche!
I need to send you some serving ware!
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