Mini Quiches For the Many

One of the menu items I served at our annual Christmas party, Post Party was mini quiches. I made quite a few, both vegetarian and bacon versions. I made a lot because I knew I was going to have a house full of hungry people. Sometimes, I make mini, mini quiches, but this time I opted for a medi-mini size. I made them in my regular muffin pans.

They must have been very popular, because they ALL disappeared. There were none left! 🙂

Mini Quiches

The only real difference between my two versions were that most of them had bacon, and some did not. Other than that, they were filled with asparagus, red bell pepper, mushrooms, garlic and shallots.

I made my normal go-to dough. Once it was ready to work with, I rolled it out very thin and molded into my muffin pans, then filled each one full of fresh goodness. One of the many beauties of quiche, is that anything goes for the filling. You can make it with just about anything you wish and it will come out great.

I doubled my amounts of the egg mixture to fill all my cups, but I will give you the recipe to fill about 2 dozen medi-mini quiches, in a normal muffin pan. I also made a double batch of my dough.

The Dough

1 1/2 cups flour

6 TBSP cold, butter, cubed

1 tsp salt

1 egg

5-6 TBSP heavy whipping cream

1 TBSP dried herbs, optional

In a food processor, pulse the flour, butter, salt and herbs if using, together until it resembles coarse sand, about 15-20 seconds. Add the egg and cream and mix again until everything forms into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out to shape.

The Filling

1 bunch cooked asparagus, cut into very small pieces

1 red bell pepper, diced fine

1 TBSP garlic

1-1 1/2 cups mushrooms, rinsed and sliced thin

1-2 small shallots, minced

1 TBSP fresh herbs – I used oregano, thyme and sage, chopped very fine

salt & pepper to taste

8 eggs

1/4-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 lb bacon, diced and fully cooked

1-1/2 cups shredded cheese – I used Monterrey Jack

Preheat the oven to 375* F or 191*C.

Cook the vegetables in olive oil and/or butter for about 5 minutes, or until al dente. If you want to prepare both vegetarian and non vegetarian options, cook the bacon and vegetables separately. Cook the bacon fully and drain off the excess grease then mix in with the cooked vegetables, after you have made your vegetarian versions. If you are only making the meat option, you can cook everything together.

Whisk the eggs, cream and seasonings together well in a separate bowl and set aside.

Roll out your dough and use a cookie cutter to shape it. Then roll the dough out again, making it very thin. Mold it into the pans. No need to add oil or spray since there is so much butter in the dough. Press the dough firmly into the pans.

Add a little shredded cheese. Add about 1 TBSP of filling to each cup. Add about 2 TBSP, or as much of the egg mixture as the cups can hold with out overflowing.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes, or until the egg mixture is firm and set, and the crusts are lightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for a bit before removing them from the pan. Use a knife or spoon if needed to help lift them out a bit, but they should just pop right out of the pan. These are best when served hot, warm or at room temperature. You can enjoy these at anytime. They are good for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or appetizers.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.