Think of this as the perfect party dish. It works for any time of day, so even if you're going to a breakfast party (actually especially if you're going to a breakfast party), you can make it. It's light, bite-sized, and has good-for-you protein that'll keep guests from having carb comas and going into sugar overload from all the other party treats they'll be munching on. And the best part is that it's completely transportable and can be served at room temperature.
The dish I'm talking about is quiche -- made mini.
This recipe is actually adapted from a recipe my aunt gave me for the quiche she makes every Christmas Eve. I was so excited when she gave me the recipe because I no longer have to wait to have it just once a year. And I love that quiche is so versatile that I've been able to make it my own.
One of the best features of this quiche is its crust. It's not some heavy, buttery, flaky, cranky, touchy crust. It doesn't require a food processor or Kitchen Aid. It doesn't require any rolling, trimming, or even any weighting during baking or any pre-baking. It's a simple crust you can mix together by hand and press right into tart pans. It stays soft after the quiche is baked and has no hard or dried out edges. I think it's the perfect texture to complement the custardy egg filling. I should tell you that I don't really love pie crust, and that might be a big contributing reason as to why I like this crust so much. It's crust that acts as a sideshow to the main event. It's subtle. It doesn't try to takeover. That's the way it should be.
The main event is a mixture of egg, heavy cream, and Gruyere, and the filling can be whatever you want it to be. I knew I wanted to please the vegetarians with one quiche and the carnivores (or omnivores) with the other, so I made spinach quiche and bacon and onion quiche.
While you can make the quiche in a normal-sized tart pan, I opted to use my mini pans because I knew I could cut the finished quiche into adorable, party-perfect triangles. I think finger foods and bite-size foods are the way to go when entertaining a bigger group than would fit around your dining room table for a sit-down meal. You want people to feel free to mingle, to pop a bite of something in their mouths here and there, to be able to hold a drink while munching, and to not feel overwhelmed trying to juggle plates and utensils.
I made both types of quiche the same night, so I just sauteed one large onion to use for both, which you can also do, but I decided to write these as two separate recipes in case you just want to make one kind. I also wrote the recipes with the add-ins already prepared, so you can cook your bacon, onions, and spinach to your liking. I have to have crispy bacon. You can also get creative and use zucchini instead of spinach or add mushrooms. You can throw in some broccoli or use a different kind of cheese. It's totally up to you.
I made the spinach quiche first, baked them, removed them from the pans, and then made the bacon and onion quiche right after. While my spinach quiche were baking, I prepared the filling and crust for my other quiche. As soon as my spinach quiche were cool enough to handle, I popped them out of the tart pans, and placed them on a cooling rack. I re-sprayed the tart pans and got right to work on preparing the bacon and onion quiche to bake.
Mini Spinach Quiche (printable version)
(makes 48 triangles)
Ingredients
Crust (makes enough for four mini tarts)
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1 egg
3 to 4 tablespoons of water
Filling
3 large eggs
Salt and pepper, just to season
Heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere
10-ounce bag of fresh spinach or baby spinach, cooked and chopped (I steamed mine)
1 small onion, finely chopped and sauteed
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Spray four mini tart pans very well with baking spray, and place them on a sheet pan.
Mix flour and salt together in medium bowl. Add butter, egg, and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix by hand or with a pastry blender until dough comes together. Add another tablespoon of water if needed.
Divide dough into four pieces. Press each piece into bottom and up sides of mini tart pans.
In a small bowl (or liquid measuring cup) whisk the eggs with the salt and pepper. Add enough cream to equal 1 1/2 cups of liquid.
Sprinkle Gruyere in each mini tart pan. Top with spinach and onions.
Carefully pour a little bit of egg filling into each tart pan, and let it settle among the spinach, onions, and cheese. Then go back and add more filling to each pan until custard reaches just below the top of the crust.
Carefully transfer the sheet pan to the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. To check for doneness, give the sheet pan a little shake and see if the egg has set. You can also press down on the egg to see if it is firm. The tops should be golden brown.
Remove tart pans from sheet pan and place on cooling rack.
These can be served hot or at room temperature. If serving hot, let quiche cool enough to handle, and then remove them from the tart pans. Cut each quiche in quarters and then cut each quarter in thirds for party-size triangles.
The quiche can be refrigerated and then served at room temperature the next day. It can also be reheated in the oven or microwave.
Mini Bacon And Onion Quiche (printable version)
(makes 48 triangles)
Ingredients
Crust (makes enough for four mini tarts)
1 1/2 cups flour
pinch of salt
6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1 egg
3 to 4 tablespoons of water
Filling
3 eggs
3 ounces heavy cream
Salt and pepper, just to season
1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere
1 small onion, finely chopped and sauteed
8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled or chopped
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Spray four mini tart pans very well with baking spray, and place them on a sheet pan.
Mix flour and salt together in medium bowl. Add butter, egg, and 3 tablespoons of water. Mix by hand or with a pastry blender until dough comes together. Add another tablespoon of water if needed.
Divide dough into four pieces. Press each piece into bottom and up sides of mini tart pans.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs, and combine them with the cream and salt and pepper.
Sprinkle Gruyere in each mini tart pan.
Carefully pour a little bit of egg filling into each tart pan, and let it settle among the bacon, onions, and cheese. Then go back and add more filling to each pan until custard reaches just below the top of the crust.
Carefully transfer the sheet pan to the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. To check for doneness, give the sheet pan a little shake and see if the egg has set. You can also press down on the egg to see if it is firm. The tops should be golden brown.
Remove tart pans from sheet pan and place on cooling rack.
These can be served hot or at room temperature. If serving hot, let quiche cool enough to handle, and then remove them from the tart pans. Cut each quiche in quarters and then cut each quarter in thirds for party-size triangles.
The quiche can be refrigerated and then served at room temperature the next day. It can also be reheated in the oven or microwave.
So I had some trouble writing this post because I wasn't sure whether the plural of quiche is quiche or quiches. Looking online, I found both, but in my good old print version of the American Heritage Dictionary, just quiche is listed, so that's what I decided to go with. What do you usually say?