I have an obsession with quiche. I seem to be on a never ending quest to find the perfect recipe. This is of course complicated by the fact that I make really terrible pie crust. I’m learning to accept that I may never perfect the art of rolled pastry dough and therefore I stock up on the pre-made stuff. It’s not that bad. In fact, I really like it. It’s crispy, browns well, and makes for an elegant presentation which is not something I can say about some of the hideous stuff I’ve created from scratch.

While I was doing my obsessive planning for the holiday party I found a recipe for a basic quiche that I had clipped and saved. I used it to make a ham quiche and a mushroom herb version, but while mixing up the eggs, cheese, and various vegetables and meats I realized that I had a ton of filling leftover. I was probably a little heavy handed with the extras I’d added but it felt like a horrifying waste when I tossed a bunch of it down the disposal.

Fast forward to earlier this week. I had a bunch of vine ripened tomatoes and zucchinis that needed to find a home (in my tummy) and two leftover pie crusts. Obviously these ingredients just screamed quiche, so I whipped up the below recipe using two pre-baked pie crusts. Remember, quiche is an all day appropriate meal. The more the merrier! Or you can just toss one in the freezer to heat up at a later time. Another thing that I really like about this recipe is that it only uses 4 eggs and 8 ounces of cheese, which you then split between two pies. So not withstanding that whole “bad for you” pie crust thing you’ve at the very least lowered your potential egg and cheese calories (or that’s what I tell myself). Plus you filled up those pastries with veggies galore. That has to count for something. So pull out those leftovers and crack a few eggs. Delicious meals don’t get much easier than this.

Note: If I were you I wouldn’t skip the step that indicates foil lining your baking sheet. Quiche have an annoying tendency to overflow and you will so not enjoy scrubbing your favorite baking sheet or (the horror!!) the bottom of your oven for a week.

What To Do…What To Do…	Dry Those Tomatoes
Slice & Chop	Cook
Fake It With Pride	Grate, No Nibbling!
Whisk	Mix It All Up
Protect Your Investment	Layer
Fill: One For Me, One For You	Sprinkle On Top
Bake	Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner

Tomato and Zucchini Quiche (Inspired by the Basic Quiche Recipe from Real Simple Magazine)

Yields: 2 Complete Quiche and 8 Large and Tasty Servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 tomatoes, sliced, lightly salted and patted dry
2 medium zucchinis, sliced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
8 ounces Gruyère, grated
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 store-bought frozen piecrust in tins

Heat oven to 375° F.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Cover and cook until the onions and zucchini are softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and half-and-half. Stir in the Gruyère, herbs, nutmeg, the remaining salt and pepper, and the onion and zucchini mixture.

Place the pie crusts on a foil-lined baking sheet. Scrape the egg mixture into the pie crusts; they will be very full. Top with sliced grape tomatoes. Bake until the filling is set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

In my world a party just isn’t a party without at least six kinds of cheese, and Baked Brie is the best of the best when it comes to pleasing your wine drinking friends. Don’t worry, as pretty and “impressive” as they tend to look all dolled up on your hostess’s serving platter it couldn’t be easier to make.

Erin’s Starry Night Baked Brie

1 wheel of Brie (the bigger the better)
1 Pillsbury Pie Crust at room temperature
Cute mini star cookie cutters

Unwrap the Brie and cover it with the pie crust. Trim the excess dough carefully from the edges, smooth out the dough and close up any open seams. Roll out the remaining dough and decorate the pastry covered Brie with the cutout shapes.

Bake in an oven proof dish at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Break Out the Big Brie	Wrap It Up
Trim	Cosmic Alterations
Decorate	I Wish I May, I Wish I Might…

After spending the morning picking apples at the Nashoba Valley Winery I decided to make my annual attempt at baking a pie. This time I decided to branch out from my horribly lazy habit of using already made pie crust and really went outside my comfort zone with a super special Martha Stewart recipe that included a decadent Cheddar Cheese Crust. It took forever, and I desperately need someone to teach me how to properly crimp those adorable decorative edges, but the crust tasted fabulous and earned high praises from my friend Anna, a self-proclaimed none crust loving individual. The sweet and spicy flavor of the apple filling, combined with the savory pie crust was the epitome of a homemade slam dunk. There’s a reason Martha Stewart is as famous as she is, and I’d love to shake the hand of the intern who wrote this recipe for her (ha ha). So while the pie wasn’t picture perfect, it was certainly tasty and all eight slices were gobbled up in record time.

Grate Cheese & Slice Butter	Combine in Processor & Pulse
Peel Apples	Mix
Roll Out	Top
Decorate	Brush with Egg Wash
Cool & Enjoy The Crispy Cheesy Crust

Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust (Originally Published by Martha Stewart)

For the Cheddar Crust (Makes enough for one 10-inch double crust):

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces white cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup ice water

Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter; pulse until pea-size lumps appear. Pulse in cheese. With processor running, add ice water; process just until dough comes together.

Turn dough out; gather into a block. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Dough can be frozen up to 3 weeks.

For the Apple Filling:

1 1/2 pounds (about 3) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
2 pounds (about 5) Cortland apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch thick wedges
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide dough into two pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each to a 13-inch circle.

Fit one circle into a 10-inch pie plate; transfer plate to a baking sheet. Put other circle on another baking sheet. Refrigerate dough until cold, at least 30 minutes.

Stir together apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Spoon into bottom pie crust. Dot filling with butter. Cover with top crust. Fold edges over; crimp decoratively to seal. Cut a steam vent. Chill in freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.

Brush with egg. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Tent with foil; bake until juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes more. Let cool at least 1 1/2 hours before serving.

Quiche is one of my top 5 favorite foods.  I love the flaky crust, melted cheeses, and all of the yummy textures and veggies.  It’s the perfect meal, especially since you can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  What more can you ask for?  PS:  Yes, real men really do eat quiche.  Just ask CK.  Click here for the recipe.

Fake Pie Crust (Shh…)	Chop!
Heat Olive Oil & Saute	Grate the Cheeses
Brown	Whisk
Layer	Pour
Bake	Enjoy!

Yesterday I went apple picking at the Nashoba Valley Winery. It was so much fun and I came home with some absolutely delicious fruit. I think heaven must smell like fresh picked apples. So of course I just had to make an apple pie. I’ll be straight with you and admit to the fact that I use those Pillsbury ready made crusts.

Erin Picks	Bounty of Fruit
6 Cups Sliced	Cinnamon & Sugar
Empty Crust	Filled
Finished Off	Brown & Bubbly