Plated + Served: The Breakfast Bind
Finally found something that may be more troubling than the Dinner Dilemma… The Breakfast Bind.
While most of us go through a good eight hours of angst worrying about what we’re going to feed our kids at the end of the day, my friend TexAnn gets worked up about what to give her two boys at the beginning of the day.
She’s smart to worry. The American Dietetic Association says that children who eat a healthy breakfast concentrate better, have better problem-solving skills, are more creative, miss fewer days of school and are more physically active.
She’s heading out of town for a few days, so she wants to make sure they eat a good, hot breakfast while she’s gone (at least on the school days)… but she also wants to make it as pain free for her husband as possible. Now that’s a nice wife!
The answer? Quiche!
Quiche solves the Breakfast Bind because you can fill it with whatever you know the kids will eat… like cheese and ham. After it cools, the quiche can be cut and wrapped in individual portions and stored in the refrigerator, ready to be reheated in the microwave over the next few days. Serve it with a little fresh fruit and everyone’s set.
Forget the Breakfast Bind…you’ve just solved it with Breakfast Brilliance.
Quiche you’ll need… let’s get to it…
prep: 20 minutes
cook: 30 to 40 minutes
1 refrigerated pie crust or frozen pie crust (these will give you a slightly sweet crust, but it is easier than making a crust from scratch. For a homemade crust, see below in cooking know how)
3 eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream or half and half
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
1 cup ham, chopped (you can use deli ham if that’s what you have on hand)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, or whatever cheese you like
Place the oven rack in the center. Prebake the pie crust according to the package directions. Cool. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Beat the eggs, cream of half and half, nutmeg and salt together until light and frothy; set aside.
Sprinkle the ham and cheese evenly on the bottom of the cooled pie shell.
Pour the egg mixture on top of the cheese and ham.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
cooking know how…
This is a really easy crust that you can make in the food processor. It is great for quiche, but if you add a teaspoon of sugar, it makes a great sweet pie crust.
Pie Crust you’ll need… Preheat the oven to 425°F.
prep: 40 minutes
bake: 12 to 14 minutes (if necessary for recipe)
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ lb. cold butter, cut in ½ inch pieces
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 tablespoons iced water
Mix the flour, salt and butter in a food processor with the metal chopping blade.
Add the yolk and water and pulse the processor until the dough forms a ball around the blade.
Remove the dough from the processor, flatten into a disk, wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Place dough in pie plate and push it out to fit the pan. Make sure it is not too thick in any one place.
Pierce the dough all over with a fork and bake for 12-14 minutes or until light brown.
Remove from oven and cool completely before filling.
Yum! I’ll have to figure out how to lighten it up a bit but I love quiche!
I’ve used milk and half-and-half. You have to cook it a little longer and it doesn’t have that rich, custard consistency… but it definitely has less calories!