Brown Sugar Ham and Swiss Quiche

Brown Sugar Ham and Swiss Quiche. Lazy Sunday mornings…a pot of hot cocoa or coffee…lounging in pajamas…staying in bed to watch TV or read the newspaper on your tablet. What’s a better Sunday brunch item than an easy egg-y cheesey satisfying Brown Sugar Ham and Swiss Quiche?

I love this recipe which I’ve modified a bit from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. This simple quiche features sweet smoky ham, bits of onion and tangy shredded Swiss cheese all bound together with fluffy eggs and rich creme fraiche in a pie crust. Nothing could be easier!

Serve with some fresh fruit!

++++++++++++

From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight……………

Brown Sugar Ham and Swiss Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:

One frozen pie crust shell
4 large eggs
8 oz. crème fraiche or 1 c plain Greek yogurt
½ lb brown sugar or maple ham from the deli, thinly sliced then cut into ¾ inch squares
4 oz swiss or Emmentaler cheese, finely shredded
1/3 c minced Vidalia onion
pinch of salt
a couple grinds of fresh black or white pepper
½ t. freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
¼ c milk for thinning

Other items:

Parchment paper
Dry beans or pie weights
Large cookie sheet

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Remove pie crust from freezer, let sit for 10 – 15 minutes at room temperature, then poke holes in bottom of crust with fork
3. Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the pie crust’s interior/bottom, add pie weights or dry beans to cover so that crust doesn’t bubble up during baking
4. Cover crust edges with aluminum foil so crust doesn’t prematurely brown
5. Bake crust for 8 minutes at 400 degrees on a cookie sheet
6. While pie crust is baking, whisk together in a bowl: the eggs, crème fraiche, nutmeg, salt, pepper. Add milk to thin if too thick, be careful as too much liquid/stirring can thin the mixture
7. Remove pie crust from oven
8. Remove foil coverings, pie weights or dry beans, and parchment paper
9. Sprinkle half of the swiss cheese over the bottom of the pie crust
10. Repeat with half of the ham and the onions
11. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese, ham, and onions
12. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese, ham and onions over the egg mixture
13. Cover the pie crust edges with foil again, being careful not to dip the foil into the egg mixture
14. Place on the cookie sheet and bake 40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, removing the foil covering during the last 10 minutes of baking. Bake until center is set, crust has browned, and filling is puffy
15. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes before cutting and serving
16. Garnish with parsley

Serves 6 for a main course. Serve the quiche warm from the oven. Accompany with a green salad or a fresh fruit salad. Also appropriate served cold or at room temperature depending on your preference.

Variations: Use a different cheese other than Swiss. Goat cheese chunks, shredded sharp cheddar, or creamy Havarti cubes all work well. Omit the ham and add some finely chopped cremini mushrooms.

www.afoodloversdelight.com (Copyright Adroit Ideals 2012)