When I asked my Dad what he wanted me to make for his birthday dinner last night, I really was not surprised when he blurted out “Quiche!”. Quiche isn’t something that my Mom used to make regularly. Usually it was only for Easter brunch and maybe, just maybe, once more each year.
For my family, the quiche is a lot like the Thanksgiving turkey. You make it once a year, and everyone looks forward to eating the leftovers. In the case of the quiche, the leftovers are great for pretty much any meal. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, late night snack when you wake up with a growling stomach at 2am… you get the idea. You really can’t go wrong with something that involves this much cheese.
Speaking of leftovers, I heard through the grapevine today that when I moved the last slice of quiche to the top shelf of my Dad’s fridge to make room to chill my New York Cheesecake he nearly went into a tizzy thinking I ate it or took it home with me. I consider this a great compliment to my quiche making abilities. Lucky for him I was able to point out where the beloved last slice was on top of a box of cream cheese and all was well again with the world. Apparently one is not allowed to remove any quiche leftovers from my Dad’s fridge. Lesson learned.
Serves 6-8 people.
Ingredient List:
- 1 pie crust (you can find my recipe here)
- 8 oz white cheddar
- 8 oz medium sharp cheddar
- 8 oz swiss cheese
- 1 head broccoli
- 6 slices bacon
- 1/2 pint heavy cream
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 package sliced provolone cheese
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- fresh parsley (optional)
Kitchen Tools:
pie plate or springform pan, cheese grater, saucepan, steaming tray, baking sheet, whisk
Prep Work:
Preheat oven to 375*F. Shred cheese and place in large bowl. Roll out pie crust and press into pie plate or springform pan. Crimp edges if desired and place in fridge to chill. Cut broccoli into florets and place bacon strips on the baking sheet. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add heavy cream and whisk in garlic powder, salt + pepper.
Cooking:
Place bacon in oven once it has finished preheating and cook for about 15 minutes until just crispy. Place your steaming tray in the saucepan and add water until just below the bottom of the steamer. Toss in broccoli, cover with lid, and bring water to a boil. Steam broccoli until cooked through.
Chop up cooked bacon. Take pie crust out of the fridge and layer the bottom with a single layer of sliced provolone cheese. Add cooked broccoli and bacon and spread evenly on top of provolone. Pile your shredded cheese on top to form a mound. Use a fork to poke some good-sized holes in this mound of cheese and slowly pour your egg mixture all over the top. Make sure that it has fully soaked in during each pour before adding more of the mixture. The mixture should be just touching the edges of the pie crust but not be spilling over it.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let quiche sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before removing from your springform pan or pie plate and serving. Top with fresh chopped parsley if desired.
