Treat Mom to Dinner

If you want to do something special for mom on Mother's Day, treat her to a dinner made especially for her.  You don't have to be an experienced cook to make the quiche recipe I'm sharing today.  You don't have to make the pie crust, cook the broccoli or, if you don't mind spending a little extra, grate the cheese.

The recipe starts with a deep-dish frozen pie crust.  Make sure it's a deep-dish crust or the filling will overflow.  If you don't want anyone to know you used a frozen pie crust, remove the crust from the foil pan while it's frozen and place it in a nicer pie plate.

Remove the crust from the freezer -- transfer to another pie plate or leave in the foil pan -- and thaw at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.

To keep the crust from getting soggy when the quiche filling is added, the pie crust needs to be partially baked which is known as blind baking.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to blind baking.  One suggests lining the pie crust with foil and adding uncooked dried beans, rice or pie weights to help the crust retain its shape.  The other way is how my mother taught me which is to "dock" the pie crust.  In baking, dock means to prick the pie crust -- including the sides -- with a fork.

These holes allow steam to escape which keeps the crust from bubbling.  Put the pie crust on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

While the pie crust is baking, make the filling by combining the eggs, milk and cream of broccoli soup.  Remove the pie crust from the oven and sprinkle Cheddar cheese on the bottom.

Leave the pie crust on the cookie sheet and add the filling.  The filling will completely fill the pie crust.

The quiche takes an hour to bake so you'll need to cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or, what I use, a pie crust shield.

The quiche is done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove the quiche from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Return the quiche to the oven until the cheese melts, about 3 to 4 minutes. 

To round out the meal, serve a salad and some fresh fruit.  Add some flowers, a card -- maybe a present -- to make Mother's Day extra special for your mom.

Broccoli Quiche

6 to 8 Servings

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie crust, partially baked
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

6 eggs

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of broccoli soup (undiluted)

2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400°.  Thaw pie crust at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.  Prick the pie crust -- including the sides -- with a fork.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the bottom of the pie crust.  Combine the eggs, soup and milk in a large bowl; pour into pie crust.  Cover the edges with foil or use a pie crust shield.  Bake on a cookie sheet for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.  Return to oven and bake until cheese melts, 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

© Margaret's Morsels