Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche with Olive Oil Crust

When was the last time you made quiche? Maybe it was yesterday or last week or last decade, like me. Quiche used to be in my regular rotation when I was a graduate student, back in the '90s (egads, that's so long ago!) And I don't know why it fell out of favor, it's a fantastic way to use up veggies heading south and odd assortments of cheese collecting in the fridge!

Perhaps quiche falls by the wayside because of the pesky crust question - homemade or not. In my grad school days, I made it all from scratch because it was cheaper. Now when I look at the ingredient lists on store-bought crusts, my stomach curdles. So I still make the crust. But here's an easier version, healthier too: olive oil crust.

Frozen olive oil that is. Or at least very chilled. You don't actually want to freeze it, just chill it for 1 hour (don't go more, it will be too cold). And then you have the making for a perfect crust!

A side note to the photo above, with the extra slice of mushroom quiche. It turns out that I forgot that my beau's youngest daughter is not a huge fan of broccoli, so I made half the quiche mushroom and cheese and half broccoli; everyone was happy!

Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche with Olive Oil Crust

1 stalk of broccoli
2 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 eggs, whipped
1/2 cup cream (or half and half or milk, but it's so much better with cream!)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used 1 cup cheddar and 1/2 cup Asiago)
salt
pepper

Olive Oil Crust

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup olive oil, frozen (see this post)
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 teaspoons ice water, as needed

Chill the oil in a thin plastic container, as seen in this post, for 45-60 minutes until the oil is firm and holds a finger indent, but not frozen solid.  Place flour and salt in food processor and scoop out olive oil and pulse until crumbly and pebbly looking. Add cider vinegar and pulse. Add ice water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until dough comes together. Wrap in parchment paper and flatten into a disk and chill for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil and sliced mushrooms and toss to coat in oil. Cook each side until just browned. Remove from heat and set aside. Trim bottom of broccoli stem and cut stalk into 1/2 inch pieces and break florets up into bite size pieces and steam until just tender. Rinse under cold water to stop broccoli from cooking and drain; set aside.

Remove dough from fridge and roll out into circle and fit into pie plate, pinching up edges to ensure a barrier against any leakage from forthcoming quiche filling. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until just beginning to turn golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes.

To assemble quiche, whip eggs and cream together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Line bottom of crust with 1/3 of cheese, arrange vegetables as desired - half broccoli and half mushroom if you're following this recipe specifically - and then sprinkle rest of cheese on top. Carefully pour egg and cream mixture over all and push veggies to submerge and make sure liquid fills in all cracks. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Eggplant in Tahini and Mustard Sauce at ECurry!
Gnocchi of a Different Color at Mark Bittman
Lentils with Wine Glazed Vegetables at 101 Cookbooks