The best of both worlds: Quiche

I don't know when it happened, but I have become a fan of quiche. My mom can tell you that when I was child and asked, "Mom, what's for dinner?" I was crossing my fingers that it wasn't quiche. It's not that she made bad quiche, it's just that I wasn't a huge fan of eggs for dinner. Now I'm craving my mom's quiche...

Making a quiche is a lot like making a pizza. You start with a crust (my favorite part!) then add cheese and whatever toppings you like, bake, and voila!

This week I have been craving comfort food. I miss my family, and in some way am trying to recreate the "smells from the past" to comfort me. My grownup palate now likes quiche. Funny how that happens.

When I was drafting the recipe, I was thinking of ways to make it healthier without sacrificing flavor and richness. I replaced the cream and half and half with milk, used reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, and added more flavorful vegetables and herbs. That way I didn't feel guilty about using a buttery crust.

This quiche is great because you can put it together in 10 minutes, if you use a ready-made refrigerated piecrust. It's even better if you use the pastry recipe found below. I hope you enjoy!

The Best of Both Worlds Quiche

Crust

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 Tbs. butter (cold, cut into tiny pieces)

4 Tbs. (1/2 c.) shortening (cold, cut into tiny pieces)

2 Tbs. vodka

2 Tbs. cold water

extra flour for rolling out dough

9 in. tart pan or pie dish

Filling

1/2 vidalia onion, thinly sliced

1/2 c. mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 c. spinach

4 eggs (or equal amount egg white substitute)

1 c. milk (I used almond milk and it turned out great!)

1/2 c. shredded part skim mozzarella

1/2 c. reduced fat sharp cheddar shredded (I buy the blocks and shred my own)

2-4 oz. smoked turkey cut into tiny cubes (could use ham or bacon)

1 tsp. cracked pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

(optional): 2 tsp. dried chives, 1 tsp. dried shallots

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in butter and shortening with knives (I used my kitchenaid mixer with the whisk attachment) until mixture resembles small breadcrumbs. Using a fork, add vodka 1 Tbs. at a time and mix. Add water 1 Tbs. at a time until a soft dough forms. Form into a disc. Using extra flour, roll dough into a 10-11 in. circle. Transfer to pie plate or tart pan.

Lightly grease a sautee pan using butter or olive oil. Sautee onion over medium high heat until caramelized. Transfer onions to the tart pan, and distribute evenly over bottom of crust. In the same sautee pan, add mushrooms, and sautee until golden brown. Layer over onions in tart pan. Grease same pan again. Add spinach and sautee until just wilted. Distribute spinach evenly over mushrooms. Sprinkle cubed turkey meat and both cheeses over the spinach.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and spices together. Pour mixture evenly over the other ingredients in the tart pan. Place pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 40-50 min. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting.