.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Heartland Quiche

The Kirby House’s quiche is all about the filling. Crust plays a secondary role and relies on oil rather than shortening.

Barry, who used to make quiche on the line at the restaurant, took over the crust assembly and provided lessons as he did so – “Make it thin and only go partially up the side. That’s the way Chris (LaPorte) taught me to do it,” he instructed. He did NOT use all of the crust dough to make one 8” quiche so I saved it for the next one. (I actually triple the crust recipe and keep it on hand in the fridge.)

Heartland filling was my choice. Since then I’ve substituted other types of cheese (pepper-jack for example) and used roasted red peppers and onions for the veggie component. Of course, the Kirby House’s Vegetarian Quiche recipe, made with artichokes, is delicious as well (recipe is in The Kirby House Cookbook).

Reheat any leftover quiche in the microwave for a quick lunch or breakfast entrée.

Quiche Dough Makes (1) one 8 or 9 -inch quiche crust

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk

Pinch of salt

1. Mix above ingredients together in a mixing bowl. (It can be put in the refrigerator at this point for later use.)

2. Press into pie pan. (I prefer to pre-bake the crust @ 350° for about 5 to 7 minutes at this point.)

Heartland Quiche filling

¼ cup ham, cubed

½ cup fresh broccoli, finely chopped

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 recipe Egg Filling (see below)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place ham and broccoli in crust-lined pie pan. Top with cheese.

3. Pour filling over filling over top.

4. Bake at 375°for 45 minutes until golden on top and custard is set.

Egg Filling Yield: filling for (1) one 8 or 9” quiche

1 1/3 cups half-and-half

3 large eggs

Pinch black pepper (1/8 teaspoon)

Pinch each of dry mustard & salt

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Thoroughly mix above ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over quiche ingredients.

This is the accompanying script I added to The Kirby House Cookbook concerning this popular luncheon entrée . . .

QUICHE: An unsweetened, open-faced custard pie served hot or cold as an appetizer or as an entree for brunch or lunch. Quiche can be made in a conventional pie plate or pan or in a special dish called a quiche pan.

A popular luncheon item at The Kirby House, it is served with a cup of soup or a choice of side orders. Grilled Coconut Walnut Bread is a great accompaniment to this main dish made fresh daily at The Kirby House. Use the speedy dough recipe to make 12 crusts for large quantities (The Kirby House Cookbook contains the large quantity recipe) or try the downsized version for 1 crust.

Kirby House cookbooks are still available at Applemint Catering.

Recipe without photos . . .