Mini Quiche

At this time of year with parties and entertaining at its peak, it is always good to have some quick and easy finger food on hand to share.  These Mini Quiche are perfect.  Not only are they simple to make, they can be made ahead and frozen.

My favourite part with quiche is always the filling, and playing around with different combinations.  Anything really goes here, so don’t be afraid to mix and match whatever you want.  All the usual combinations are great (ham, cheese, corn, onion etc), but have some fun trying some new ones.  Just make sure you come back and tell me about them!

Mini Quiche

Mini Quiche

Mini Quiche

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
½ cup grated cheese
¾ cup (approximately) of prepared fillings
1 egg
1 cup milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (360F).  Allow puff pastry to defrost.  Grease 12 hole mini pan. Cut 12 rounds from pastry and press into greased pan.

Mini Quiche Shells

Mini Quiche Shells

Sprinkle some cheese into the bottom of each pastry then top with selected fillings.

Mini-Quiche-Filling

Mini Quiche with filling

Beat together egg and milk, add salt and pepper to taste, then pour over fillings.

Mini Quiche with egg mixture

Mini Quiche with egg mixture

Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes until browned and cooked through.  They can be served immediately or allow to cool and freeze for later.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

  • The filling options are endless.  Here are some combinations to get you started:
    Chopped cooked onions, bacon, sundried tomatoes
    Creamed corn, ham or bacon
    Chopped salami, olives and sundried capsicums
    Canned salmon and chives
    Cooked chopped onion, capsicum, corn and ham.
    Cooked onion, feta cheese, capsicum.
  • The recipe can easily be scaled up and done in larger batches.  The above ratio of ingredients is for 12 mini quiches so just multiply accordingly.
  • Use mini patty pans (as in photo above) or mini muffin pans or both!
  • These Mini Quiche can be made up to two weeks ahead and frozen.  Simply defrost and reheat prior to serving.
What other combinations can you suggest?  Please leave them below for all to share.

December 3rd, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Zucchini Slice

This Zucchini Slice recipe is one of the oldest in my repertoire. The initial attraction was the simplicity of the recipe. When you’re first learning to cook, recipes like this are a great confidence booster.

Nowadays it’s still a favourite because not only is it simple to make, it is something that can be prepared ahead and then either reheated or served cold along with some fresh salad. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day too.

My kids call this Zucchini Slice ‘quiche’, probably because it’s like a quiche without the crust. I’m happy for them to call it what they like because the great thing is they will eat zucchini when it’s in this slice, but if I try to serve it on its own – forget it.

Zucchini Slice

Zucchini Slice

Zucchini Slice

Ingredients

375g zucchini, grated
1 large onion, chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup oil
5 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (360F). Grease a lamington tin (approximately 16cm x 26cm).

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Season to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until browned.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

Other ingredients can be substituted – carrots and ham are a great addition. Use whatever is at hand, just ensure they are all grated or chopped to a similar size.

If you have any comments or questions about this recipe, please leave them below.
November 24th, 2009 | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments »

Easy Salmon & Corn Tart

This Easy Salmon & Corn Tart is a new recipe in my “fatty fish” arsenal, and a good one. It checks the quick and easy boxes using ingredients that are usually on hand.

The tart is a bit like a quiche except the base is puff pastry instead of short crust. Not only was it great served warm for dinner, I had it cold for lunch the next day – it tasted just as good. The tart would be great sliced up and taken to a picnic as well.

Easy Salmon & Corn Tart

Easy Salmon & Corn Tart

Easy Salmon & Corn Tart

Ingredients

2 sheets (approx. 20cm x 20cm) frozen puff pastry, thawed
415g can salmon
1 cob of corn, kernels removed
4 shallots, sliced
2/3 cup grated tasty cheese
5 eggs
½ cup milk

Method

Preheat oven to 200C (390F). Lightly oil a 20cm square non-stick cake tin.

Line the base of the tin with one sheet of pastry. Cut the other sheet into 4 equal strips and press around the side of the tin to form a shell. Press into the corners well also.

Tart Shell

Tart Shell

Sprinkle salmon, corn kernels, shallots and cheese over the base of the pastry shell. Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour over the other ingredients. Trim excess pastry from the sides if necessary so that they are not too high.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. The tart should be golden brown and set. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. If serving cold, it can be allowed to cool in the pan and then sliced.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

  • Tinned corn can be substituted for fresh corn kernels.
  • Use whatever canned fish is on hand – pink salmon, red salmon or tuna.
If you have any questions or comments about this recipe or ingredients, please leave them below.

November 6th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Impossible Quiche

Quiche, of any variety is a wonderful meal. It is loved by all ages and you can really be creative with fillings. Traditionally quiche has a pastry crust that is baked first before filling it up with a mixture of eggs, milk and other ingredients such as meat, ham, vegetables and cheese. However, there is no messing around with pastry for this Impossible Quiche.

Impossible Quiche is a recipe I was handed from Nanna quite some time ago and was on Menu Plan #3 (followed by Menu Plan #4). The reason it’s called ‘Impossible’ is because a soft crust forms on the bottom while baking. It’s one of those magical recipes where some sort of separation occurs during cooking like with Lemon Delicious.

The other reason I’m sure it’s ‘Impossible’, is that it really is impossible to mess it up! It is probably more like a savoury slice than a quiche, but Nanna calls it a quiche, so I will too.

Serve the Impossible Quiche with some fresh salad and you have a quick and easy mid week meal. The leftovers are great for lunchboxes plus, everyone loves it – young and old.

(Apologies in advance for the sad photo, but it does give you a general idea of what to expect.)

Impossible Quiche

Impossible Quiche

Impossible Quiche

Ingredients

1 cup grated cheese
½ small onion, chopped
½ cup chopped capsicum
1 small tomato, chopped
1 cup fresh corn
½ cup chopped ham
3 eggs
½ cup milk
1 dessertspoon butter
¾ cup self raising flour
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 200C (390F). Grease a 26cm (10 inch) quiche or pie dish.

Sprinkle cheese, onion, capsicum, tomato, corn and ham into the dish.

Beat together eggs, milk butter, flour and seasonings. Pour over the other ingredients.  Cook for 35-40 minutes.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

  • Some other suggested fillings – bacon, shallots, frozen corn or peas, mushrooms, grated carrot, grated zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, sausage – you really can use your creativity here.
  • All up you need about 3 cups of chopped fillings (excluding cheese).
  • The quiche can be served hot or cold. As with many things, it tastes even better the next day.
  • Can also be cooked in a slice pan of similar capacity.
Any filling suggestions? Please leave them below.

September 15th, 2009 | Tags: , | 4 Comments »