Broccoli Ham Quiche - Great for Any Meal

Making a quiche is simple even for novice bakers. In a matter of minutes, you can put together this hearty meal that turns out great whether you use a ready made pie crust or make one from scratch. 

Most people believe that quiche is a French creation but the dish actually originated in Germany. The word quiche (pronounced keesch) comes from the word kuchen which means cake. According to the French Training Site, quiche is "a delicious egg pie with a nice buttery crust."

The beauty of this dish is that you can alter the ingredients to suit your personal tastes and dietary needs. Quiche can be enjoyed as an appetizer or as an entree for a meal. It can be made with different types of cheese using either whole milk, reduced fat milk or cream. Adding meat is optional. They're really delicious when made with cooked shrimp, chopped turkey, leftover chicken, spicy sausage or served plain made with only eggs and cheese.

Ingredients for a Homemade Crust:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of solid shortening or butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 - 3 Tablespoons of water

Making a pie crust is the first step. A fresh crust has only four minimal ingredients: flour, butter, salt and water.

For a one crust pie combine one cup of sifted flour and one quarter teaspoon salt with one third cup of butter or shortening in a medium sized bowl.

Using two knives in a crisscross fashion cut the shortening into the flour until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Add the cold water a little at a time to form a dough ball.

Refrigerating the dough for a few minutes makes it easier to roll out.

On a floured surface, carefully roll out the dough until it is large enough to cover the bottom and sides of a nine inch pie pan.

A clean, dry, well-floured surface works best.

If the dough starts to stick, sprinkle a little more flour on both the surface and the rolling pin.

Transferring the rolled out dough to a pie pan can be tricky.

Start by rolling up one side and fold it over on itself. If it tries to stick to the surface, run a spatula underneath to free the edge. A little sprinkle of flour helps to loosen the edges.

Move the crust and position it in the ovenproof pie dish and begin to unroll it. Center the dough so that all edges have a bit of an overlap.

Trim off the excess from around the edge with a knife or kitchen shears. Fold under the excess and you're ready to flute the rim of the crust.

The fluted edge of the pie crust edge is formed by using two fingers of one hand and pushing a finger from the other hand between those two fingers, pressing gently to form a ridge between the first two fingers.

• One cup of shredded cheese.

Almost all types of cheese will work in a quiche. For this pie, I used a ready-made shredded blend of four kinds: Monterey Jack, cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero natural cheeses.

• One cup of milk

This time I was out of milk so I used evaporated milk. You can use half and half or 2% milk or skim if you're counting calories.

• Broccoli Florets

I trimmed these really small so they would submerge in the liquid as I didn't pre-cook them.

• 3 Large eggs - lightly scrambled
• 1 - 2 cups of cubed ham chunks

You can substitute diced deli ham, leftover baked ham, cooked sausage, shrimp, shredded pork roast, etc. or leave out the meat entirely if you wish. Just add a bit more cheese.

• 1 tsp. dry mustard (optional) and salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Assembling the Pie:

1. Arrange the trimmed broccoli florets around with the stems down if possible for an attractive finish.
2. Distribute the ham chunks over the bottom of the crust
3. Cover with a layer of cheese.

Scramble the eggs, add the flour and seasonings and mix it all together. Add the cup of milk and pour the mix over the ingredients in the crust.

Taking care not to overfill the dish, pour in the liquid until the bottom edge of the fluting on the crust is reached. Carefully transfer the filled pie crust to a cookie sheet covered in aluminum foil.

Place the cookie sheet and pie dish into a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to an hour. Jiggling the cookie sheet will let you know if the center is set and ready to take out of the oven.

Allow the baked quiche to cool for at least ten minutes during which the top will settle down a bit. Cutting too soon will result in the slices being too loose and mushy.

The leftovers can be refrigerated and warmed up for another meal.

Wrapping the outer crust with a strip of aluminum foil keeps the crust from getting burned during the long cooking time. I make a long two-inch wide strip of aluminum foil and wrap it around the edge of the pie crust before filling it.

This pie is ready to slice and serve with your favorite side dish like salad or fruit. It stands alone as a meal for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or late-night snack or can be used in smaller portions as an appetizer.

Here's hoping you'll give this recipe a try. Let me know how you liked your own version of ingredients. Thanks for stopping in to take a look.