Mushroom, Ham & Swiss Quiche
I cooked last night for the first time in weeks, and it felt so good to be back in the kitchen. Now I didn’t make anything complicated; instead I dug up my mom’s quiche recipe–a favorite spring/summer easy dinner from childhood. It had been a long time since I’ve had this quiche, and I forgot just how good it is. I dare say it’s the perfect quiche recipe–light yet creamy, with just the right ingredients. You can easily swap in asparagus or spinach in place of the mushrooms, or leave out the ham, but this is my very favorite combination. We always seemed to eat this for dinner, but it’s obviously a great brunch recipe, too.
Mushroom, Ham & Swiss Quiche
Pastry for a single-crust pie (find in the refrigerated section of your store)
1/2 medium-sized onion, diced
1 tablespoon of butter
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of flour
3/4 cup of half and half
1 cup imported Swiss cheese (look for Emmentaler Swiss, it’s the very best flavor), shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground black pepper
A handful of fresh basil leaves, very thinly sliced
A handful of baby bella mushrooms (5-6), chopped
1/2 cup ham steak, diced
Preheat over to 400 degrees. Remove pie crust dough from the refrigerator and let sit 10 minutes, then lay into a 9-inch pie pan. Peel and chop the onion and mushrooms. Heat the butter in a saute pan. Add the onion and stir until golden. Remove from the pan. Add the mushrooms and ham and stir for a minute or two. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add the flour and cream. Fold in the cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in the onions, mushrooms, and ham. Pour mixture into the pastry-lined pan. Sprinkle the basil on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove quiche and cover the edges of the crust with foil. Lower the heat to 350 degrees and cook another 20 minutes, until quiche is set in the center. Serve with fruit salad.