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“Very clever dinner.  Appetizing food fit neatly into interesting round pie.”
“It’s a quiche.”
“How do you spell?”
“You don’t spell it son, you eat it!”

Quiche Lorraine

Name that movie.

If you guessed “Sixteen Candles”, you’re correct!  I have an affinity for 80s movies by John Hughes, so that’s probably not the last one you’ll read.

I must admit that I use an unusual amount of movie quotes in my everyday life.  I don’t always say them out loud, mostly because I know people around me just wouldn’t get it (especially my middle school students!).  But I couldn’t resist sharing the movie quote above which I always think about when I make a quiche.  And probably say several times while eating it.

Movie quotes aside… What to do with all of that leftover holiday ham?  Make Quiche Lorraine!  It’s simple and delicious.  Quiche is a versatile dish, as it can be an appetizer, or a main dish for dinner or breakfast/brunch.  This quiche uses a can of evaporated milk in place of half-and-half or cream.  The original recipe suggests using bacon, but I substituted ham and found it to be quite tasty.

What You Need

You’ll need an unbaked pie crust.  I like to make my own, but a pre-made crust will also work.  Saute the onions in a small amount of butter.

Saute

If you are using bacon, saute the onions in a small amount of bacon grease (yum).  When they’re done, put them into the crust.

Onion Layer

Top that with the ham or bacon.  If you are using ham, you may want to squeeze out any extra juice.  I used a really juicy ham, and I forgot to remove the extra juice and my quiche took twice as long to bake because of that.

Ham Layer

Shred your Swiss cheese and add that on top of the ham.

Cheese Layer

Whisk together the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Milk & Eggs

Mixed

Pour over the ingredients in the crust.

Top it Off

Ready to Bake

Bake until the top is golden brown, and a knife inserted near the center of the quiche comes out clean.  If you take out the knife and see a puddle of uncooked eggs, you know it needs some more time.  You may have to cover part of the quiche with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.

Quiche Lorraine

Let the quiche stand at room temperature for about 5 to 10 minutes.  This will allow it to set and be served nicely.

Even leftovers of this quiche were delicious!  I think next time I’ll try adding one extra egg just to see if it becomes even lighter and fluffier.  I’ll keep you posted.

Easy Quiche Lorraine

Print Recipe
Servings 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 9 " unbaked pie crust
  • 2 to 2 1/2 cups diced ham
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 cup 6 oz shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 3 large eggs well beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional

Instructions
 

  • Saute onions in butter in a sauce pan until translucent. Spread into unbaked pie shell. Top with diced ham, then with Swiss cheese. Beat together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix well. Pour over cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes*, until a knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Let sit on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
  • *I baked my quiche a little over an hour in order for it to be done. Next time, I think I’ll try adding another egg and see what happens.

Adapted from VeryBestBaking.com