Monday, April 4, 2011

Spinach and Gruyere Quiche

This is a recipe that I got from Martha Stewart's website and it turned out great.  I used two deep dish pie plates and made my own pie dough from Simply Recipes for All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pate Brisee).  If you want to make it easier on yourself, just get some Pillsbury Pastry Dough at the grocery store.  I also used fat free half-and-half and I used two eggs and 1-1/2 cups of egg substitute. 

Spinach & Gruyere Quiches

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
3 shallots, minced
3 bunches flat leaf (baby) spinach, thick stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (about 3 cups)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
1 recipe Basic Pie Dough, fitted into two 9-inch pie plates
8 large eggs
3 cups half-and-half
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds of the oven.  In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat.  Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until softened (1 to 2 minutes).  Add as much spinach to skillet as will fit, season with salt and pepper, and toss, adding more spinach as room becomes available, until wilted (2 to 3 minutes).

2.  Transfer spinach mixture to a colander.  Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Divide spinach mixture and cheese between prepared crusts.  Place each crust on a separate rimmed baking sheet.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Dividing evenly, pour egg mixture into crusts.

4.  Arrange baking sheets on racks, and bake until center of each quiche is just set (55 - 60 minutes), rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through.  Let quiches stand 15 minutes before serving.  (Or cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. Reheat at 350 degrees until warm in the center (30 - 40 minutes).

Enjoy!
The Creative Cook