Quiche and Frittata

the soup of breakfast

Quiche is often referred to in our home as “the soup of breakfast.” An apt description, I think.

The essential qualifier of a soup is really only that it be liquid. The essential qualifier of a quiche is really only that it have a crust and be filled with eggs.

Which ingredients go into either dish are entirely up to the creativity (and refrigerator contents) of the chef.

Both make excellent dishes on “wow, look at all of the random vegetables sitting in our crisper that are about to go bad” days.

But, in addition to acting as delicious garbage disposals, both of these dishes can also be dressed up or down to suit almost any occasion.

As my husband and I approach our one-year wedding anniversary, I’ve been thinking a lot about that bright, sunny day we were married. It came in an unusual September.

That September was unusual for many reasons, the first of which was perhaps the blizzard that arrived in its first week. Three days before our outdoor wedding, after a summer of record-breaking heat and dryness, a white-out, power-out, plant-freezing blizzard blew through my parents’ beautiful mountain home where we were having our wedding.

But the mud dried, and I swear I could hear the plants (that we’d lovingly and painstakingly planted and watered all summer) thanking God that they’d finally gotten a break from the heat.

Another reason why this particular September was unusual was that it occurred during the first year of the global pandemic. Weddings were rather persona non grata at the time.

We settled down to have a think about how we could effectively feed the guests that we had invited and planned to space out at tables outside.

We couldn’t have a buffet. But we also couldn’t have servers for the tables due to all of the necessary restrictions.

Enter quiche.

We got married on that beautiful sunny day at 10:30am to beat the vicious autumn winds that often blow through this valley. And, thus, when we were planning the food, our caterer had suggested a dish that was already near and dear to my heart to accommodate the need for a delicious brunch meal that was plated in a way that each table of guests would have everything they needed for their meal at their individual table.

Not only did it look lovely plated between the bunches of flowers, but it suited our needs perfectly.

If only I could’ve eaten more of it…But that’s besides the point. After all, what bride gets to eat more than a bite or two of the food at her wedding?

Frittata was also served for our gluten-sensitive guests, and it was a completely lovely morning.

The perfect morning.

We were surrounded by loved ones and flowers, the snow-capped mountains looked breathtaking in the background, and, most importantly of all, we got married. And the quiche was delicious.

I hope you enjoy this simple and flexible recipe for a simple and flexible meal that will deftly accomplish two goals — satisfy the most haughty of guests with its lovely look and fancy flair and save you a trip to the grocery store (just throw in whatever is sitting in the back of your crisper. I won’t tell).

But you must promise me one thing before I share my formula with you — don’t tell anyone that I always have a stack of frozen store-bought pie crusts in my fridge.

Shhhh.

Quiche (and Frittata)

You will need:

A pie crust (of your own making or store-bought — I don’t judge)

Three eggs

As much milk as you have eggs (I’ll explain)

Whatever fillings you want — deli meat, ground beef, broccoli, feta cheese, colby jack cheese, peppers, onions, garlic, etc.

What to do:

For quiche, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the pie crust in the pan, crimp the edges, and cover the edges with tin foil. This will keep them from browning too quickly. Bake the crust for about fifteen minutes, or until the bottom begins to look golden brown.

In a large measuring cup, crack the eggs. To figure out how much milk you need, check to see how many cups worth of eggs you have. If you have two cups of eggs, add in two cups of milk. Beat the eggs together with the milk using a fork or a hand-held mixer.

If you are using any veggies in your quiche, you will need to sauté these in a pan on medium heat in some olive oil. I recommend salting them as you cook them.

A favorite filling blend in our house is garlic, onions, red bell peppers, and shredded cheese. For this combo, you would sauté the garlic, onions, and peppers in olive oil until they are tender (about 10-15 minutes), then put them in the egg mixture and add about one cup of cheese.

When the pie crust has finished baking, take the tin foil off of the crust’s edge and add the egg and milk mixture. Then add the other filling elements and stir it to evenly disperse them. If I am using cheese in my quiche, I then top it with a bit more cheese.

Bake for about forty-five minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the quiche comes out clean. You can also check the quiche by jiggling it a bit — if the center just barely jiggles, then it is done.

For the frittata, simply omit the pie crust and butter the pan before you add in the egg mixture.

Thanks for reading. Paying subscribers can tune in next week for another classic comfort food in my house — Stuffed Acorn Squash. Don’t you love the fall?

If you’re reading this from somewhere in the state of Colorado — Hey! I’m doing a book signing TODAY! Right now actually. From 10am-2pm I’ll be at The Cellar, a wine and tapas restaurant in Buena Vista, CO signing copies of my debut novella, “No Regrets.” I’m also running a giveaway of the new audiobook version of “No Regrets” read by me (available on Audible)! Stop by if you can!

Juliana Nicewarner