Apple-Cheddar Quiche

I've always resisted the apple-cheese combination. I know a lot of people like it. I've seen slices of apple pie with a big slice of melted cheese on top. But it always turned me off. The thought of pairing cheese with apples just didn't do it for me. 

Then one day a few weeks ago, I was making lunch for my son and was cutting up slices of apple and cheese. For no good reason, I took a piece of each and ate them together. And it was good!

So when I was looking for something for brunch last week, I stumbled on this unusual quiche and decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did, because I think it was fantastic. It was a little change from the typical quiche and the apples and cheddar balanced each other nicely. I highly recommend it if you are looking for something a little different.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pie crust (I used a frozen pre-made crust that was in my freezer)
2-3 tart, firm apples (such as granny smith) peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Fit the pie crust into a 9 inch quiche pan or pie plate. Arrange the apple slices in the pie shell. My quiche pan fit 2 good sized granny smith apples. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the apples. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk and spices. Pour the mixture evenly over the apples and cheese. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

Recipe adapted from Yankee Magazine

I made this the night before brunch and served it at room temperature the next day. It was great that way. I also warmed up a piece for dinner later that night and it was great warm as well. Enjoy!

Spinach Tomato Quiche

More from brunch!

I have a lovely little raised backyard garden going this summer. I made it using cinderblocks and I have tomatoes and some flowers growing in the garden and then flowers and herbs in the holes of the cinderblocks. My tomato plants have just been on fire this summer and I can't keep up with all of these amazing tomatoes. I am also in the process of trying to clear out my freezer and pantry items. I like to do that about once a year, just to use things up. So when planning brunch, I was also trying to make as much use of what I had on hand.  A quick look through the freezer netted me some ready made pie crusts and a thing of frozen spinach, and I found several cans of evaporated milk in the pantry. A little Google search brought me here, the inspiration for this quiche.  It was incredibly simple to put together and just took a little forethought to take the pie crust and spinach out of the freezer the night before. And it tasted great!

Ingredients:
1 ready made pie crust
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup evaporated milk
2 large eggs
2 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat over to 350. Spray pie plate or quiche pan with cooking spray. Roll out pie crust into pan.

Mix spinach and sour cream in a small bowl. Make sure that as much moisture as possible has been removed from spinach, or your quiche will be soggy. In a separate bowl, combine milk, eggs and salt and pepper. Stir 1/3 cup on the milk and eggs into the spinach mixture.  Spread the spinach on the bottom of the crust and top with the tomato slices. Spread the cheese on top of the tomatoes. Pour the remaining milk and egg mixture into the pie plate.

Bake for 45-55 minutes.

Enjoy!