This quiche recipe calls for a homemade crust. But I know what it’s like to be short on time (and energy) in the kitchen. So if you must – start with a crust you purchased at your favorite grocery store. Or use your own favorite crust recipe. It really makes no never-mind. But if you intend to make your own crust or want to try a new recipe for crust, the recipe below is about as easy as it gets. So much so, that I never plan to build another quiche with any other recipe. (You heard it here first folks!)

Anyway, what drives my choice of what to cook for dinner a lot of times is what’s in my fridge. And the other day what I had at my disposal was a half-pound of bacon, a big container of fresh spinach, a couple sad looking (starting to get kind of slimy) green onions, and part of a large bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese. OK Patti, you’re fairly smart (on a good day), so what to do with these prime ingredients?

To my astonishment, quiche popped into my mind. I consulted Mr. C. about my choice for our dinner that evening, and as usual he was receptive to my suggestion. No dummy Mr. C.! But, and here’s the interesting part, I didn’t have any Crisco for my pie crust. Horror of horrors. How could this have happened? So now what to do? Well – when times get tough, the tough get going. So I got on line and did me some research. And I found an abundance of recipes for pie crust that were made with a fat other than Crisco or lard. Imagine my delight! But do I dare make a pie crust not using the same recipe I’ve been making for 55 years? Would a bolt of lightning hit me? (We do live on Lightning Way after all!) Or would I have to turn in my Girl Scout baking badge? I even feared retribution from some unknown deity. (There could be a God of pastry. Well there could!!) But I decided to flaunt my desire for quiche in the face of whatever unknown force might take exception. And I’m proud to say, I came out the other side unscathed. And, this is the good part too, a lot wiser about pie crust in general.

Not that I am going to throw away my old recipe. Because in 55 years it has never failed me. Never! But, for something like a quiche, this new recipe is going to make it possible for us to enjoy quiche more often. It’s just that much less effort to prepare.

I guess I should mention that not only was the crust really tasty, the filling stood up to our demanding standards as well. So if you love quiche as much as we do, get thee to your kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. And remember, you don’t have to use all the same ingredients I used. Be bold. Use ham or smoked salmon, cooked breakfast or Italian sausage, or whatever you happen to have on hand. And vary the type of cheese you use. Swiss, Gruyère, or Emmenthaler cheese are absolutely perfect in quiche. And the true beauty of quiche is that it is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Pretty cool huh?

And if you are interested in preparing my No-Fail Pie Crust, I have printed it at the bottom of this post for your convenience. And yes I know it’s a strange recipe. You have only to consider the source and all will make perfect sense. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.

8-inch pie crust (see recipe for No-Roll Pie Crust recipe below)

8 slices thick, meaty bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp

1½ c. chopped fresh baby spinach

1½ c. Mexican-blend shredded cheese

1/3 c. thinly sliced green onions

freshly ground black pepper

¾ tsp. dry mustard

1 1/3 c. milk (whole milk is best)

4 eggs

ground nutmeg

Scatter cooked bacon over pie crust. (If you are using the recipe below, remember it has to semi-bake before you add this filling.)

Layer spinach and cheese on top of bacon. Add sliced green onions. Whisk together the pepper, dry mustard, milk, and eggs. Hint: Place pepper and dry mustard in bowl and add just a tiny splash of the milk. Whisk until there are no mustard powder lumps. Then add the remaining milk and eggs; whisk all together. (If you add all the ingredients together at once, you often end up with mustard lumps that, trust me, are very hard to incorporate with the other ingredients.)

Pour liquid mixture over all. Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven until set, about 30-40 minutes.

NO-ROLL PIE CRUST

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour   

heaping ½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

scant ¼ tsp. baking powder

7 T. vegetable or canola oil

¼ c. cold water + 1 T. if the mixture seems dry

Whisk the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder together. Whisk the oil and 1/4 cup water together. Pour over the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened. Add additional tablespoon water if necessary.

Pat the dough across the bottom of the pie pan and up and a little over the sides. Crimp or mold the pie crust around the edge to make it pretty.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the filling for your quiche. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

For great “how to crimp piecrust” instructions visit www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-crimp-pie-crust-4123830

NO-FAIL PIE CRUST (makes a double crust)

¼ c. very cold water

2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

heaping 2/3 c. Crisco

Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl.

Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl.

Step 3 – Take 1/3 cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside.

Step 4 – Add the Crisco (heaping 2/3 cup) to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.)

Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust 8-inch pie, or one large bottom crust with a little left over for pastry cookies or a free-form small tart.  

Helpful hint: Use a pastry cloth to roll out your pie crust. It really makes a difference. You can find pastry cloths in almost any kitchen wares shop. Well worth the $10 or so.