Clark's Quiche

Clark's quiche is excellent served for breakfast with fruit, or at lunch or dinnertime with a salad. This recipe makes two 9-inch pies. The reason for this is because if you only make one you will hate yourself the next day when there are no leftovers. The quiche microwaves well the next day. In fact, most people say that the flavors have blended better on the second day... If in the strange case that you are filled up with one pie, this is a great gift to give a friend or relative, or if you are stingy...it freezes well with tin foil.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 25

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Servings 16 people

Calories 8268.4 kcal

Equipment

1 Large, deep skillet For cooking bacon and sautéing vegetables
2 Mixing Bowls For preparing spinach mixture, cheese blend, and egg custard
1 Whisk For combining the egg and half-and-half mixture
1 Baking Sheet To support the pie crusts in the oven
1 Colander For draining and squeezing excess moisture from spinach

Ingredients

Main

8 ounces thick-sliced bacon
1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion finely diced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms finely diced
2 cups finely diced smoked ham
1 8 ounce container sour cream
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 9-inch unbaked pie crusts
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
8 ounces Cheddar cheese shredded
4 ounces Parmesan cheese grated
8 eggs
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Cook bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook spinach according to package instructions. Allow to cool, then squeeze dry.
Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and translucent. Stir in mushrooms; cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in ham and bacon. Remove from heat.
Combine sour cream and spinach; season with salt and pepper. Divide evenly between crusts, then divide and arrange bacon mixture on top. Combine Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Parmesan; divide and sprinkle over bacon mixture.
Whisk eggs, half-and-half, and parsley together in a separate bowl; season with salt and pepper. Divide and pour into crusts.
Arrange quiche on a baking sheet; bake in the preheated oven on middle shelf until tops puffed and golden brown, 40 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Notes

Ensure the thawed spinach is thoroughly squeezed dry; excess moisture will lead to a watery quiche. A cheesecloth can be very effective for this. Render the bacon slowly until truly crisp for optimal texture and flavor, then drain well to avoid a greasy end product. For a perfectly set quiche and to prevent a soggy bottom, consider blind baking your pie crusts for 10-15 minutes before filling. Distribute the fillings and cheeses evenly to ensure a balanced flavor in every slice. Do not over-whisk the egg mixture; combine just enough to emulsify. Allow the quiches to rest for at least 10 minutes after baking; this allows the custard to set fully, making for cleaner slices.