In this dish:
- Pillsbury pie dough
- shredded white cheddar
- arugula
- red onion
- balsamic vinegar
- eggs
- heavy cream
- goat cheese
It makes sense to feel intimidated by quiche.
I’m not saying you are, but if you were, it’d make sense. There’s the pastry crust and the jiggly baked eggs and grated cheese and whatever other mix-ins to prep and ehhh.
Even now, if I were in charge of providing quiche for a crowd, I’d buy one at the store. But if you ever find yourself with a few eggs, some random produce, and an old pie crust in the freezer, I recommend doing what I did one winter Sunday. Make a quiche without a recipe.
Because it turns out that quiche is pretty basic and forgiving, especially when you’re not concerned about it turning out perfectly.
Here’s what I did:
1. Lined the pie plate with a sheet of thawed Pillsbury pie dough
2. Threw down a bed of shredded white cheddar
3. Tossed some greens in (I had arugula and a teeny bit of kale)
4. This is the part where you add whatever meat or produce you have. Broccoli, bacon, deli turkey, whatever. It’ll be good! I had red onion, so I caramelized it in balsamic vinegar and threw that in.
5. More white cheddar!
6. Whipped up three* eggs with a dash of heavy cream, some red pepper flakes and black pepper. Into the pie it goes!
7. A hit of goat cheese crumbles before going into the oven.
8. Oven to 350, bake for about 30 minutes. My fillings were pretty spare; if they had completely filled up the pie dish, time would have been closer to 40–50 minutes.
9. Out of the oven, hit the quiche with salt and pepper. Let it rest for 15–20 minutes before digging in.
*More eggs would have helped. I’d go four or five if I did it again.
Again, if you’re looking to make a predictably sound and delicious quiche in the face of hungry guests, maybe choose a recipe with actual measurements. Maybe.
But if you’re just hanging around with some eggs in the fridge and no plans for them, this is a low-stakes way to make something hearteningly basic. It’s also a good way to gain some confidence in eyeballing versus measuring. As a baker, I have nothing against measuring. But there’s a sense of power and magic in making something up and being pleasantly surprised by the result.
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