I adapted this from my chef hubby's quiche recipe. His recipes always allow for a little flexibility, so I recommend reading the directions through before proceeding. Because the flavorings in the custard can vary, depending on the season, I am providing you with the custard base below. Feel free to add whatever flavoring goodies you like. Mine consisted of mild italian sausage, spinach, goat cheese, garlic, and mushrooms.
The interesting part is that I've used the gluten-free pie crust before in a pumpkin pie recipe, and I didn't like it very much. This time it was really great. I realize now that the pumpkin pie recipe needed longer to bake, so the crust was slightly overcooked and slightly bitter. In this recipe, it came out "buttery," flakey, and delicious.
An important note: Since my blog is about reviewing products and sharing good ideas, I tend to feature products instead of providing entire scratch recipes. So I have provided a link to a gluten-free pie crust below for the adventurous cook with a little more time on his/her hands.
Rebecca's Friendly Quiche:
Products used:
- Barvaria Mills Gluten-free Pie Crust (ready made)
- Vegan Gourmet Sour Cream (I don't recommend Tofutti, because it's too dry and dense compared to this product, which is very creamy. You could use silken tofu as an alternative, but it will not be as flavorful as the vegan sour cream. If you do use silken tofu, you should puree it first.)
(For an alternative to Bavaria Mills GF Pie Crust, check out this link to a Gluten-free Pie Crust Recipe.)
Custard Ingredients:
2 Large Eggs (or 3 small)
1 1/2 C Vegan Gourmet Sour Cream (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 C cream)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Ground pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook off flavorings (see below.) Spread your flavorings over the crust, leaving enough room for the custard. Whisk together the custard ingredients (if you are using cheese, or dairy-free equivalent, mix into custard.*) Pour the custard over the flavorings and bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until custard is set. It will puff up during baking, but it will deflate while cooling.
*I stirred in about 1/2 C of goat cheese crumbles to the custard before pouring into the pan. Another excellent alternative is cheddar flavored Daiya Vegan Cheese.
Flavoring options:
Bacon, Spinach, Tomatos, Leeks, Artichoke Hearts, Crab, Sausage, Mushrooms, Onions, Garlic, Roasted Red Peppers, etc. Most of your flavorings need to be cooked first, unless they come processed, like canned artichoke hearts or olives.
My entire mixture of sausage, mushrooms, garlic, and spinach equaled just under two cups. Because the spinach cooked down, I used about two bunches. I like to cook things in phases because I have more control over their outcomes. (Make sure you salt according to taste as you go.)
I cooked off about 1/4 lb of sausage and placed it into a bowl. I drained the grease into a clean pan, washed the sausage pan (it was pretty sticky), then I returned the grease to the original pan and added olive oil. I simmered my spinach leaves in the oil until they were tender, then I put them in a colander to drain*. I simmered about 1 C sliced cremini mushrooms in olive oil. Then I added two pealed, chopped garlic cloves to the mushrooms and took the pan off the burner once the garlic began emitting its aroma. I chopped the sausage into finer pieces, and I chopped the spinach, and then I mixed all the flavorings into one bowl before spreading them across the crust. Then I poured the custard over the top, made sure it was settled, and then tucked it into the oven.
*If you cook a wet or oily product, make sure you drain it before you spread it across the crust.
A recap, in approximate amounts:
1/4 lb sausage
2 bunches raw spinach leaves (about 4 C uncooked)
1 C mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt to taste
Olive oil
Simmer, drain, chop when necessary, mix together, spread across crust. (If you wish to cook everything together, make sure you honor the delicate nature of certain ingredients, and their cooking times. So with my ingredients, I would start with the sausage and let brown a little, then add the mushrooms until they begin to sweat, then add the spinach until wilted, and then add the garlic, stir once or twice, and remove from burner. Then I would drain the ingredients before spreading across the crust.)
Be well, my friends. And enjoy Eating Friendly.
