Quiche - Week 2

Sorry for the delay - it's been a busy week! Last week's quiche has been consumed, and I have to say, it wasn't my favorite. There just wasn't enough texture diversity - it was all mush.  And the crust, well, let's just say it never made it to my mouth. I still ate the filling though, and eating breakfast was definitely what I needed to get through my busy mornings. And look! I didn't get discouraged and managed to make another *much tastier* quiche.

This week's quiche features not one, not two, but three farmer's market finds. My friend's uncle is a vendor at my local Saturday market, and he had the most beautiful purple potatoes - something I've never tried before. A few booths down the line was a man selling bite sized crimini mushrooms, about half the size of the ones at the grocery store, and much more flavorful. Lastly, there was an influx of pearl onions this past Saturday and I picked up a pint of little guys. I guess it's that time of the year! Oh, and the cheese in the photo is one of my favorites - a flavorful smoked Gouda.

 

 I started making the quiche late in the day on Sunday, and quickly realized I didn't have butter or shortening to make a crust. Thinking on my feet, I decided to carefully arrange purple potato slices to create a "crust". I liberally buttered a cast iron skillet with my favorite butter, Freis von Kiel produced by Pine River Dairy in Manitowoc, WI. Starting with the sides of the skillet, I overlapped thin slices of potato, then worked my way to into the middle. To keep the quiche batter from oozing through the spaces between slices, I sprinkled it with a handful of the cheese then placed the skillet in the oven to let all that cheesy goodness melt.

 

While the potatoes and melted cheese cooled a bit, I tipped and tailed a handful of pearl onions and spread them on a sheet pan.  Into the oven they went until they were soft, which made peeling a whole lot easier. I sliced them thinly and set them aside to cool. In a saute pan, I melted a chunk of that delicious butter, and cooked the sliced mushrooms until they were soft, lightly caramelized, and deliciously fragrant. I added them to the onions and seasoned them simply with salt and pepper.

 I sprinkled the mushrooms, onions, and the rest of the cheese over the potato crust, and topped it all off with quiche batter spiked with sweet smoked paprika from The Spice House.

About half an hour later, the quiche came out of the oven with a beautiful golden brown crust and a crisp, scalloped edge of potatoes. The golden tones looked lovely with the purple potatoes and onions. And it's delicious too!

My mornings have been a little frantic lately, for whatever reason, so I've been taking quiche slices to work. Since I conveniently work in a kitchen, I have pans and an oven at my disposal, making reheating easier. My coworkers have been especially interested in this one, probably because of the colorful crust!