Quiche with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Artichokes, Basil and Goat Cheese
Quiche with sun dried tomatoes, basil, artichokes, goat cheese
Quiche is versatile comfort food that goes as well for breakfast as it does for lunch or dinner. You can make an infinite variety of savory quiche types by combining different ingredients for the filling. I love sun dried tomatoes, basil and goat cheese, and I had some artichokes and I figured they would go well with that combination too. Broccoli and cheddar is always good, as is turkey bacon with spinach. Next time I think I would try adding some sauteed onions to this one, but it was good without them too.
Oh, and don’t be scared of homemade crust, people - its not really that hard! Though you can always cheat and use a pre-made crust if you are scared or want to make a quicker quiche.
Ingredients:
{crust}
1 1/3 cups flour (I used half white and half whole wheat)
1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 tsp. salt
3-5 Tbs. ice water
{Filling}
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. salt
fresh ground pepper
pinch nutmeg
~6 sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, sliced
~4 artichoke hearts, quartered
3 Tbs goat cheese, crumbled
To make the crust, first mix together the flours and salt. Add the shortening and butter, and cut with a pastry blender or fork, tossing with the flour, until the fat is in small chunks and well mixed into the flour. Sprinkle 3 tbs of the cold water into the flour while tossing it. Add a little more water if its really dry, but don’t add too much because it should seem dry anyway. Gather it all into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When you’re ready to make the crust, take the ball of dough out of the fridge and let it warm back up for a few minutes. Sprinkle your surface with lots of flour, and use a rolling pin (or if you’re like me and haven’t procured a rolling pin for your kitchen yet, use a wine bottle), and roll the dough out until it is about 12 inches in diameter. Don’t forget to lift up the dough and sprinkle flour underneath it so it doesn’t stick. Using the rolling pin or a spatula, gently lift up the circular piece of dough and transfer it to a pie plate. There are several ways to make the crust look pretty, but what I usually do is roll the extra dough under itself (towards the rim of the plate) around the edges. Then I use my thumbs and forefingers to make little waves in the edge. After you’re happy with it, you can stick it in the oven for a few minutes to brown before filling it – but be careful not to leave it in too long because the butter can make it sink down into the pie plate.
Pie crust
To make the filling, beat the eggs, milk and sour cream, and then mix in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chopped basil. Take the crust out of the oven, and place the sun dried tomatoes and artichokes around the bottom of the crust. Pour the egg mixture on top of it, and then sprinkle on the goat cheese. Now just stick it in the oven and let it bake for around 45 minutes, or until it has risen and is getting slightly golden brown on top. You can check the middle with a toothpick to see if its done. When you take it out of the oven, let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into it so that it has a chance to set and will keep its shape when you cut it.
Vegetables arranged in the crust
Filled crust, ready to bake
Quiche ready to eat
