A Cultured Pearl

No-Look Recipes: They’re Egg-cellent

Posted on August 4th, 2015

There comes a time in every young 20-something’s life when they are expected to be able to feed themselves. This societal requirements go beyond picking up Chipotle, and generally involve turning on an appliance. I have always loved baking, but I have been out of college for over a year now and I’m just getting into making dinner in any kind of a regular way. This is because:

My kitchen in New York was tiny and outdated
It’s quite difficult to cook using fresh ingredients in a cost-efficient way for one person, especially because endless leftovers make me kind of sad
I worked long hours, so I was able to expense my dinner many nights. Free Whole Foods hot bar is way better than anything I was going to make at 9pm

But now I live with Ian, have a great apartment kitchen, and generally get off much earlier, so I’m out of excuses—plus, cooking is actually fun. I have developed a few recipes that are really perfect for week nights. I think of them as “No Look Recipes” because I don’t have to consult a cookbook to get them on the table and they are very low maintenance to actually prepare and cook.

So today’s topic is quiche! Quiche is kind of a superhero in the food world because it can hang out with the breakfast, lunch, and dinner crowd fairly easily. It’s perfect for us because we can use whatever is in the fridge, the ingredients are cheap, and the leftovers taste great.

My mom is kind of a quiche goddess, so I try to channel her whenever I put this together. Here’s the basic way to do it:

Preheat the oven to 400*. While you’re waiting, saute whatever vegetables you plan to use. If you put them in your quiche raw, they will release moisture and your eggs won’t be able to cook properly. My favorites are mushrooms, onions, and spinach, but this week we didn’t have spinach and tomatoes entered the mix, too. Quiche is flexible, though, so use whatever you want. Last time, Ian wanted a little meat, so I grilled a little chicken sausage and cut that in, too.

Roll out your *refrigerated* pie crust into your pie pan. I don’t really feel like I have the time or energy to make the mess of making my own pie crust after work. I admitted this to my DIY grandmother, expecting her to be disappointed. Her response? “Smart thinking. I figure Pillsbury has spent millions perfecting their refrigerated pie crust recipe. What makes me think I’m going to do any better?” Now you have my grandmother’s blessing to skip a step.

Once the oven is preheated, put empty pie crust into the oven for 8 minutes. You want it to get a little cooked before you put the ingredients in.

While your pie crust is maturing (technical term), turn your attention to the liquids. There are different schools of thought on quiche ratios—I say don’t overthink it. I make a light version using 1 egg, 5 egg whites, and about 2/3 cup of milk, which is a very healthy preparation. If you want to treat yo self, substitute 1/3 of a cup of cream, or throw in a dallop of sour cream. YUM. I stir in my veggies, add about 1/3 cup of feta, and salt/pepper to taste. Of course, you can use whatever cheese your heart desires! I tend to use feta with everything because it’s a lower calorie, higher protein cheese.

Your pie crust is ready to come out of the oven? Great! Take it out, reduce oven temperature to 350*, pour the quiche filling into the crust, and get it back in the oven! It will cook for about 35-40 minutes, and once the top feels more firm and the crust is golden, your dinner is served.