Quiche may seem like a difficult dish to make but this recipe is quick, easy and adaptable, suitable for both the beginning and intermediate cook. It’s a perfect dish for Christmas — or Sunday brunch this weekend.
By: Sharlene Tan
My love for cooking goes back to my mother, who, despite her full-time job, always managed to prepare home cooked dinners – albeit sometimes in the fridge, ready to be heated up in the microwave when it was mealtime.
As a teenager returning home from school, I loved to hang around the kitchen and help her prepare dinner. I didn’t really do that much, chopping this, slicing that, but those afternoons were relaxing and a nice break from school homework.
I loved the smells, sounds, sights and textures of cooking – that wonderful, saliva-inciting fragrance of garlic sizzling away in the wok, the experiment that was concocting my own marinade of sauces and spices for chicken wings, the gentle yet violent act of cracking open an egg.
I loved it even more when we baked – the idea that a cake could be made by simply putting together some flour, sugar, eggs and a few other ingredients was a delight, a true wonder, a science in its own right.
Author Michael Chabon found “a sense of history and connectedness to anchor him, something that would not disappear or blow away or change beyond recognition” as he grew up in his family’s kitchen, and so did I. It connected me to my mother and it made me learn to appreciate her more.
My mother’s quiche, a staple at holiday parties, best sums up her style of cooking – it is a simple one-dish recipe, and at once comforting and incredibly fulfilling. This is the same theme that I find myself following as I run my own kitchen. However, this isn’t your typical quiche recipe – which usually has cream in it – and the result is a lighter, healthier, although still somewhat creamy quiche. Best of all, it’s foolproof and does not require that extra step of blind-baking the pastry (that is, pre-baking the pastry before the ingredients are added). It’s also easy to use different fillings for a whole new quiche.
My Mom’s Quiche
150g shortcrust pastry (frozen)
150g button mushrooms, sliced
1 big onion, minced
150g ham, chopped
2 large eggs
100g grated cheddar cheese
150 ml milk
Pepper & salt to taste
1. Pour a little oil in a frying pan and cook the onions, then add the ham and mushrooms.
2. While the mixture is cooling, preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius; roll out the shortcrust pastry into a greased pie dish. Cut off the excess dough. Use a fork to press the pastry down onto the sides of the dish and poke some holes on the base of the pastry.
3. Spread the cooked ingredients onto pastry. Beat eggs together with milk, season with salt and pepper and pour over the cooked ingredients. Sprinkle grated cheese over, trying to cover all of the wet ingredients and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Lower heat to 160 degrees and bake for 20 minutes till the top is golden brown. Let cool. Slice and serve.
Alternative fillings – you can easily substitute bacon for the ham, asparagus for the mushrooms, or pick a different type of cheese.
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