on Apr 7th, 2008Healthier Quiche Lorraine
I love quiche and it has bothered me no end to see it tarnished, trashed and turned into a receptacle for using up all the leftovers in the fridge. It went from being the fashionable belle of the ball to the tired old town tart who still wears Uggs.
Quiche Lorraine is a classic, dating back hundreds of years, and recipes for the version as we know it began to appear around 1903. It’s eggs and ham (or bacon) and cheese. It’s not eggs and pizza toppings, not eggs and salad fixings, nor is it eggs and bits of yesterday’s meatloaf.
It’s also somewhat indulgent in the way of so many 20th century foods, needing a makeover if it’s to be more than an occasional treat. And with its crust, it can be too time-consuming for a light weeknight meal. Prefab crusts are not an option; I’d rather do without. So I did. I also lightened up this dish, reducing both fat and cholesterol, and ended up with a quick and easy quiche that’s more in keeping with the 21st century.
So what has changed? Along with eliminating the crust and its carbs, I replaced the heavy cream with evaporated milk — so smooth in cooking and baking — and used much less. The usual half-pound or more of cheese is cut way back, but it’s quality not quantity that’s stressed and I don’t miss the extra cheese. I used a new version of Egg Beaters® in place of the eggs, a formulation that includes some yolk and actually tastes like eggs. If you can’t find it, see the notes.
And without a crust, you no longer need a quiche or tart pan with a removable bottom; a regular pie plate will do.
What has not changed is good, lean ham. I bought it already diced, one of those vacuum-sealed packs alongside the hams in the meat department. That only saves a few minutes but provides enough ham for a few salads later. If you don’t want leftover ham and don’t want to dice a chunk from the deli, look for some at the salad bar, if your supermarket has one.
Welcome back an old friend, up-to-date and looking good again.
Ella’s Healthier Quiche Lorraine
1 cup/8 oz Egg Beaters With Yolk® (see notes)
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 TB unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced OR 1 greedy handful frozen, diced onions
4 ounces diced, cooked ham, about 1 cup
5 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
Thoroughly spray a regular pie plate, not deep dish, with cooking spray and set aside. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425F/220C/Gas 7.
In a bowl, whisk together the Egg Beaters®, evaporated milk and salt and pepper. Reserve.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and diced ham and saute 3 - 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions are fragrant and beginning to color.
Pour into prepared pie plate and spread evenly. Sprinkle on 4 ounces (1 cup) of the shredded cheese and pour the egg mixture over all. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
Bake 28 - 32 minutes, until well-colored and set. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before cutting. It will firm up some as it cools.
Serves 4 -6
Ella’s Notes: Do not use one of the flavored varieties of Egg Beaters With Yolk®. If you are using the type that doesn’t say With Yolk, use only 3/4 cup and 1 large shell egg. If you prefer all shell eggs, use four of them.
Gruyère is a wonderful melting cheese but somewhat expensive. Sargento has introduced an Artisan blend of shredded Swiss and Gruyère, sold in a 5-ounce package. This is a fine substitute.
Copyright (C) 2008 From Scratch All Rights Reserved         
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ummmm, yum. On ‘the list’ it goes … was wondering if you might ever consider quiche with soya milk ? Might get an interesting ‘taste’ with the Gruyere ?
Free association follows:
Had a very tasty ’steak & kidney’ pie over the weekend, made by a ‘french chef’ from one of the local ‘clubs’. He used some kind of ‘undercurrent’ of cloves beneath the meats which made for an interesting effect … Most ‘commercial’ versions of this dish use way to much steak and never enough kidney. This one went almost too much the other way, lots of kidney, but skimpy on the beef … The pastry was PERFECT.
All that one could possibly want with even decorative cross-hatching across the top with an old fashioned ‘air bird’ stuck in the centre … [is there a proper name for that kind of ‘cooking’ ornament????].
Congrats on recent award. Cheers, c
canadada’s last blog post..Smitty’s Cabin ? (another poem)
Ella this quiche recipe looks great! Evaporated milk adds such a rich flavor and texture to everything! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
I always make quiche with a combination of Gruyere and Provolone cheese. The taste is perfect! I find cheddar a bit “oily” for a quiche and Jack cheese to yield a smooth texture but not a lot of flavor.
Canadada, I think soy milk would be a BIG mistake in this recipe.
Cheers!
Kathy Maister
Hi Canadada - Those birds are called pie birds and they’re still sold. The old ones are also collectibles.
Clove certainly is an interesting choice for steak and kidney pie; with food prices as high as they are, I’m not surprised you got more kidney than steak. You’re welcome to my share of kidneys too.
I agree with Kathy, right below your post, that soy milk’s not the best choice here.
Thanks for the congrats - I’m really tickled!
Hi Kathy - Isn’t evaporated milk a wonder? I love it in mac and cheese.
Provolone and Gruyere sounds great! I like Provolone combined with other cheeses; it seems to bring out the best in all of them. I’m definitely going to try it your way.
Intersecting food wavelengths. Again. Sort of. LOL
Mine was the speedy spinach quiche from epicurious.
That was the last piecrust in the deepfreeze so I’ll now try to mend my wicked ways. 
RTU piecrust, frozen spinach . . . . *blush*
It was yummy
“Healthier Quiche Lorraine”, for sure, the next time; with snickerdoodles for dessert ~ ’cause ella made me do it!
I looove spinach but can’t remember the last time I had spinach quiche. Thanks for the reminder!
When you need to make piecrust, there’s plenty of help here if you need any. I can’t remember if you were around for my Pie Week but if not, I have a lot of information and crusts. Just click ‘pies and tarts’ in the category cloud.
Yeah, I’ll take the blame for your quiche and cookies meal, hee.
I’ve stayed away for TOO LONG~OH this looks soooo goood! (((((HUGS))))) sandi
(((((HUGS))))) sandi’s last blog post..Unsorted Thoughts
{{{{Sandi!!!}}}} - OMG, it’s good to see you. Listen, you put your family first. That’s to be applauded, not something to apologize for. It’s great to have you back.
(And, yes, this is good!)