Out-Quiched!

Today I got off from work at about 1pm so I had a good opportunity to drop by the produce market for some fresh goods on my way home. My daughter, Abi, is good about assisting with foods management. She was particularly interested in seeing what fruits and veggies will be on-hand over the next week as she begins her senior year of high school Tuesday morning and packs her lunch daily. As I passed apples, peaches, and plums she told me about a pumpkin latte she wanted to make using almond milk, so we began to make a list of items we wanted to pick up from the grocery store.

Putting away the last of the produce, I quickly checked the freezer, both for available space and for inventory. I, once again, found myself repositioning two frozen pie crusts that have been occupying premium freezer space since last year’s holiday season when Abi had gotten into a pumpkin pie-baking mood. In an instant I decided that today was the day when these two freezer anomalies would be utilized. Tossing the crusts onto the countertop, I added half-n-half and eggs to my mental list asking Abi to start brainstorming  a couple of quiche creations for dinner. Together, we headed for the grocery store discussing the pros and cons of universal healthcare en route.

As is usual we split up upon entering Super Fresh. She’s getting her latte ingredients while I shop the seafood counter. We meet at the bakery because Abi always wants some decision-making power when it comes to fresh bread. I told her I’m making bruschetta this weekend, so she chose a good, multigrain baguette to accommodate the topping. Proceeding through dairy we begin to share our quiche ideas. We decide that she will create one and the other using a basic recipe of 6 eggs, 1.5 cups half-n-half, 1.5 cups cheese, and 2-3 cups of meat and/or veggies. We figure we’ll decide when we get home because we know we have plenty from which to choose to fill in the gaps in our recipes.

We finished up our trip grabbing a variety of cheeses, eggs and milk, and discussed our quiche ideas during the trip back home.  We both were stuck on using fresh spinach so while I made spinach the feature ingredient in my spinach & mushroom dish, Abi chose to make smoked salmon the star of her recipe with the spinach playing second fiddle. While it is usually not the case, Abi kicked my butt in the kitchen this evening. She totally out-quiched me! Her salmon, spinach, and goat cheese quiche is outstanding which is why I’m sharing her quiche recipe with my salad creation of the day.

Fresh Greens & Fruit Salad

Mixed greens

cucumbers

strawberries

mandarin oranges

sliced almonds

sweet onion & poppy seed dressing

I love salad and create a variety of both side and entree salads all year long!

  

Smoked Salmon & Spinach Quiche

6 eggs

1.5 cups half-n-half

1.5 cups goat cheese (crumbled)

1.5 cups smoked salmon (slices cut to ½ wide pieces)

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1 9-inch pie crust

Pre-heat the oven to 400 and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove and lower oven temperature to 375. Lightly beat the eggs and whisk in the half-n-half. Add salt and pepper.  Layer spinach, salmon, and goat cheese in the pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients. Bake for 45 minutes.  Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

Abi's Smoked Salmon & Spinach Quiche is delicious! The goat cheese was an excellent choice for the dish.