Real Men Do Eat Quiche

Long days often make putting dinner on the table in a timely manner difficult, if not impossible.  A family can only eat so many pasta with sauce and grilled sausage meals (this is our old standby when I don't have the energy to make anything else).  Fortunately, quiche is always at hit in my house.  If you have the ingredients on hand--and all you really need are the kitchen staples of milk, eggs, and cheese-- everything else can be improvised and dinner can be in the oven in a matter of minutes.  I throw in whatever vegetables and meats I have available; sometimes it is ham or bacon or no meats at all.  As with most things, everything tastes better with bacon so this tends to be my most common add-in which helps to keep household interest up.

Aside from the actually baking of the quiche, which is totally hands off, the most time consuming aspect of the meal is the crust.  Sometimes I make my own following the simple three ingredient recipe of flour, butter, and water.  Purists may cringe, but more often than not I use a pre-made refrigerated crust.  It makes the whole process so much easier and faster.  If the goal is to quickly put a balanced meal on the table this is the way to go.  Throw together a simple green salad while the quiche is baking and you'll be all set.

BACON AND TOMATO QUICHE

1 deep dish pie crust

8-10 slices bacon

1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese (or a cheese of your choosing)

2 medium ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups milk- low-fat or whole

5 eggs

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

pinch dried mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Paprika

1)  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2) Prepare the crust of your choice.  Roll out the crust to fit a 10 inch deep dish pie crust.

3)  Shred the cheese and spread over the bottom of the pie crust.  

4)  Dice the bacon into 1/4 inch pieces.  Place in a large saute pan and cook over medium heat until
      browned and crisp, approximately 10-12 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon transfer the cooked bacon
      to a paper towel covered plate and drain.  Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the top of the cheese.

5)  Slice the tomatoes and place over the top of the bacon, arranging in a manner that will facilitate the
      even slicing of the cooked quiche.

6)  Combine the milk, eggs, flour, dried mustard, thyme, and salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Using a
     stick blend blend the mixture until smooth and the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the liquids.
     Pour the custard over the top of the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with paprika.

7)  Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center of the
     quiche is clean.  Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Served with a green salad this makes a perfect light dinner.  The quiche is even better the next day served either cold or at room temperature.