Spinach, tomato, & basil quiche

Eggs that are worthy of a holiday

Once upon a time, I was in New York visiting my friend Rachelle when she made quiche for breakfast - and it was awesome. Rachelle sort of wings it in the kitchen a lot, and that's what she did with her quiche. So I decided to try her method at home, and behold: my family's favorite worthy-of-Christmas-morning quiche.

There's a lot of eyeballing it, a sprinkling of salt and pepper here and there, adding as much cheese as looks good - but there are some rules that musn't be broken. The big one is removing as much water as possible from the tomatoes - no one wants watery eggs! The second, in my opinion, is using enough basil and distributing it in an even layer; basil in every bite is a very good thing. Another very good thing: this recipe makes two quiches! And trust me, you'll be wanting both of them as people clamor for seconds.

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SPINACH TOMATO BASIL QUICHE

WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 
2 pie shells (I use frozen, in this case Pillsbury)
1 bag spinach
1 package basil (or about 16 leaves), roughly chopped
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
shredded parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese
crumbled feta cheese
10 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream
nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
extra tomato and basil for garnish, if desired

WHAT YOU'LL DO: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To remove water from tomatoes: Lay thinly sliced tomatoes in a single layer on a plate, baking sheet, or cutting board lined with paper towel. Place a second layer of paper towel on top of the tomatoes and press to absorb water. Repeat with additional paper towels until tomatoes are mostly dry. Sprinkle tomato slices with salt and pepper, then set aside.

2. In a large skillet, combine chopped onion with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook until onion begins to soften, then add garlic and cook for one minute more. Add spinach, a sprinkling of nutmeg, and a handful each of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Add a roughly equal amount of crumbled feta cheese. Stir together, sprinkling with salt and pepper as desired, until the spinach just begins to wilt.

3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and cream until smooth, sprinkling with salt and pepper as desired. 

4. Place two pie shells on a baking sheet. To assemble: Line the bottom of each unbaked pie shell with seasoned tomato slices. Over the tomatoes, evenly sprinkle chopped basil, then a layer of the assorted cheeses. *Note: You don't need an insanely heavy layer of cheese - just do what feels right. For the next layer, divide the spinach mixture evenly between the two pie shells. Top with another layer of cheeses. Pour whisked eggs evenly between the two pie shells (the liquid should lie almost-flush with the edge of the pie shell - if you need more liquid, whisk another egg or two). For color, top with just a sprinkling of cheese and salt & pepper. If desired, top with additional chopped tomatoes and basil, taking care they don't sink into the liquid (for aesthetic reasons only).

5. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the quiche is set. The top of the quiche should be lightly golden. *Note: There's really no way to overcook these. I once accidentally put a quiche in at something like 425 degrees for an entire hour. I panicked, but it tasted great despite the high temp.

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I find that if I keep adding salt and pepper and a little layer of cheese throughout the assembly process, it results in great overall flavor in the end. You could also try adding mushrooms to the quiche, or even more tomatoes and spinach, since the spinach does wilt quite a bit. But try it this way and see what changes you would make from there. If the photographic evidence (above) of Christmas morning quiche lovers is evidence of anything, it's that people are certainly happy with this quiche no matter how much you wing it!