Mom's Quiche

As a tribute to my mom on Mother's Day, I wanted to post her quiche recipe. This is only one of the many recipes she had endowed to me, but one of my favorites. I like quiche because of its versatility. It's good any meal of the day and can incorporate a variety of meat, cheeses, or veggies. It's great to host a brunch with or to make for a light, quick dinner (and breakfast the next morning). This particular quiche is made with asparagus, sausage, and Swiss cheese, but once you know the basics for a great quiche you can switch up the ingredients in a variety of ways.

Let's start with the pie crust. You can certainly make your own crust but I always use the store bought kind. It's a heck of a lot easier and taste just as good. These can be found in the freezer or refrigerator section of the grocery store. Some are already in the pie tin, other you can roll out and use your own pie tin. Either will do. If your pie crust is frozen, make sure is completely defrosts to about room temperature until you fill and bake it.

In a medium bowl, beat together 4 eggs and add to them 1.5 cups half & half, 1 teaspoon salt, and a dash each of black pepper, Tabasco sauce, and nutmeg. This will never change regardless of the other ingredients you use.

Now for the good stuff. You will need a cup each of steamed vegetables, cooked meat, and shredded cheese. For the quiche above I did the following:

#1- Steam 1" cuts of asparagus just until tender when pierced with a fork. You don't want it too cooked because it will cook slightly when inside the quiche.

#2- Cook about 6 small links of turkey breakfast sausage until browned on all sides then cut into small rounds.

#3- Shred baby swiss cheese.

Next, layer these ingredients into the pie crust, starting with the cheese then adding the veggies and meat. Pour the egg mixture slowly making sure it doesn't flow over the edges. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then, turn down the oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or until set.

Now that you know the basics, you can switch up the ingredients to your heart's desire. For veggies, try mushrooms, spinach, or broccoli. For meats try ham, bacon, or salmon. For cheese try gruyere, cheddar, or fontina.

Enjoy! And Happy Mother's Day.