Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Quiche On Believing

One of the most enduring foods for a pleasant springtime brunch is the quiche. Simple and elegant, easy to customise to one's preferences, and full of comforting taste, quiche is an excellent complement to most brunch foods. Still, it pleases throughout the day, even if it is most suited to brunch and teatime.

But it can be concerning when one makes a whole quiche, in full pie-sized glory, and has so much of it left. Its ingredients are heavily dairy-oriented, so even refrigerated, they do not last altogether long and, in any case, should be eaten as soon as possible after their preparation.

My solution is this: mini-quiches! They're easy to make, quick, and you won't have to worry about a vast amount left over. The recipe is also simple to double, if you're expecting a crowd for your brunch and want to add an item to the menu.

Many Mini-Quiches

Ingredients

1 C milk (at least 2%, if not whole)
2 eggs
panko
shredded cheese
onion
green pepper
imitation bacon pieces (make sure they're veg, though most are)

to taste:

salt
black pepper
paprika

1) Heat a small amount of oil in a frypan and add the onion, diced into very small pieces. Once the onion has become fragrant, add the green pepper and cook for a minute or two longer. Remove from heat. About a quarter of a large green pepper should be enough. As for the onion, sizes vary so much that you should just eyeball it. You can use leftover onion as a garnish if necessary.

2) Grease a muffin pan or use baking cups. Sprinkle enough panko to make a thin layer covering the bottom of each. Make another thin layer with the onion and pepper mixture, then add a layer of the imitation bacon pieces. Over this, sprinkle a thin layer of the cheese.

3) In a mixing bowl, mix the eggs with the milk, salt, and pepper. Whisk until blended.

4) Spoon the egg mixture into the muffin cups until nearly full. Sprinkle paprika on top for spice (if it is Hungarian) or at least colour.

5) Preheat your oven to 350 F or about 175 C. Bake the mini-quiches for 30-50 minutes, checking regularly. They will rise considerably, but once they are taken out to cool, they will also condense, so be aware that they will not be as muffinlike as they may appear whilst cooking.

6) Use a butter knife or spatula to make sure the quiches are loose from the pan, as the cheese can sometimes cause them to adhere. Scoop out and serve while still warm, or store refrigerated for up to several days and serve cool. This will make about 6-8 quiches.


Tips and Such

- Place the muffin pan on a larger cooking sheet, just in case. It makes everything much easier in case anything spills, spatters, or spurts. Well, inside the oven, anyway.

- If you have a silicone muffin pan, it might make everything come out smoother. Silicone baking cups are also a thought, although regular baking cups should do quite nicely as well and may add a decorative feel to the quiches, something very pleasant for a brunch.

- You can omit the vegetables if you wish and simply sprinkle the imitation bacon pieces and cheese. As pictured below, it makes for a delicious and simple quiche itself. If you're concerned about space in the muffin cups, or if you just want to save time, it's easy just to use those ingredients.

- You can vary the recipe as well, such as preparing spinach (torn very small), mushrooms, or a variety of other quiche ingredients, to make your own variety. You can even double the recipe and prepare different ingredients, and have a selection of distinct quiches for your meal!

- If you don't have panko, just use any bread crumbs. You can make them yourself easily, if you just have some bread and an oven and some time.



As you can see, they're not only colourful, but also delicious! I couldn't help myself...I had to try the first one!

The picture makes it seem like they were very short, but they were actually taller than they look there. Blame the flash! Due to the fluffing-up during cooking and subsequent lowering, they lost some height. But they were more than enough for a delicious meal amongst friends!

Although quiche isn't something most people should probably have every day, it's great for an occasional treat in the vibrant mornings and afternoons of springtime. Quiche is rather light but still fulfilling, and it's so easy to make these little gems.

Happy quiches to you!

};) Dhiar <3