Broccoli, Ham & Cheddar Quiche

I was really craving Quiche for dinner the other day. There was a recipe in the Smitten Kitchen Keepers cookbook for quiche that I wanted to try out, which was for a deep dish quiche.

I did not want to make a deep dish quiche however, no matter how delicious it looked and so I took the liberty of cutting the recipe in half and making just one normal sized quiche. The original recipe served 12 people. My version serves only six.

I also took the liberty of adding ham to the quiche to make it even heartier. This was by means of a ham steak which I cut into cubes, and it worked beautifully as a combination with the broccoli and the cheddar cheese.
I loved that this was a filling that ended up being more about the ham, broccoli and cheese than it did about the egg. Oh, the egg is there, but it's main purpose is to hold everything else together.
I made a half recipe of my butter/lard pastry for the shell, which I prepared because in my opinion there is nothing worse than a soggy bottom or a bottom crust that is not baked through and crisp. One thing which is a real winning idea for this recipe is that the bottom of the crust is spread with Dijon mustard before you add anything else to it.
This adds a surprisingly delicious flavor note to the mix that was quite, quite tasty!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BROCCOLI, HAM & CHEDDAR QUICHE
Just a few simple ingredients. I like to make my own crust, but it is perfectly acceptable to use a prepared frozen pie crust if you wish. Do plan on par-baking it either way so that your pastry stays nice and crisp after you put the filling into it to bake.
For the pastry:

1 cups all purpose flour (140g)
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 TBS butter (36g)
2 1/2 TBS lard (or white vegetable shortening) (35g)
3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water

For the filling:

1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and chopped (about 3/4 pound or 300g)
2 cups (400g) cubed ham (I used a ham steak)
2 TBS butter (27g)
1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
3 large eggs
1 1/8 cups (10 ounces or 284ml) whole milk
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (115g) sharp/strong cheddar cheese, grated coarsely and divided
1/2 TBS Dijon mustard

My broccoli crown was about 6 inches in diameter. I lopped off a portion of the bottom, peeled the stem and then chopped both, breaking the broccoli into 1/2 inch florets. I ended up with about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of it.
As I said I used a ham steak, the bone in kind that is like a slab cut from a ham. I did not need to use the whole steak, just half of it and I trimmed it and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.
I used a mix of strong and medium cheddars, in white and orange. It was a pre-grated mix from the shops. Armstrong's I believe. I think it was a great choice of strong and medium flavors, which worked well with everything else.
I use free range eggs, but that is my choice. Large sized. Full fat milk and full fat cream.

HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI, HAM & CHEDDAR QUICHE

This is really a very simple make. The pastry goes together easily and you could actually get on with the filling while it is chilling. I do recommend par-baking the pastry (whether you make your own or use a frozen crust) so that you don't end up with a soggy bottom.

Make your pastry first. Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Form in to a ball, wrap in cling film and then chill for about half an hour.Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a 9 inch deep pie dish and a baking tray to set it on.Roll out your pastry (on a lightly floured surface) to a round roughly 13 inches in diameter. Fit into the pie dish. Trim and crimp the edges and prick the bottom with a fork. Fit a sheet of baking paper inside and fill with beans or rice. Place onto the baking sheet and pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make your filling. (Keep the oven on.)

To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and garlic. Cook stirring for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the broccoli, ham, and 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring for about 8 minutes, or until the broccoli is crispy tender. Remove and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Brush the bottom of the pastry with the Dijon mustard. Top with roughly half of the cheese. Place the broccoli mixture on top of the cheese.Beat together the eggs, milk, cream, remaining seasonings, and 1/2 of the remaining cheese. Pour this mixture over top of the broccoli mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.

Replace the filled pie crust onto the baking sheet and return to the oven.Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the custard is completely set and the crust is golden brown. (The tip of a sharp knife inserted near the center should come out clean.)Leave to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, before cutting into wedges to serve. A salad goes nicely alongside.

This was exceptionally delicious and really much more ham and broccoli than it was egg custard. I brought half over to my next door neighbor and she loved it also! All you really need on the side to this is a nice salad.
This was quick and easy to make, aside from having to chill the pastry. You could get around that by using a prepared frozen pastry shell if you wanted to and are really in a rush!

Eggs for supper is one of my favorite things, especially when the come in the form of a quiche! Here are a few other favorite quiche recipes!
QUICHE IN A BUN - Skip the crust and bake your quiche filling in a hollowed out crusty bun. This is a unique way to prepare a quiche and such a simple thing to do. No preparation of pastry, rolling or cutting to do. Simply hollow out your buns, prep the filling and fill the hollowed out buns with it. Bake to perfection. No fuss, no muss deliciousness!
SALMON AND BROCCOLI QUICHE - Salmon and broccoli are perfect flavor partners and when you combine them with cheese in a tasty quiche filling, they really shine! This is quite simply one of my all time favorite quiche fillings. We love this in our home. We really do!
Yield: Six servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner

Broccoli, Ham & Cheddar Quiche

Prep time: 40 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 55 MWith its tender and flaky crust and delicious filling of tender broccoli, chunks of ham and rich cheddar cheese, this is a quiche real men will always want to eat.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

1 cups all purpose flour (140g)
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 TBS butter (36g)
2 1/2 TBS lard (or white vegetable shortening) (35g)
3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water

For the filling:

1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and chopped (about 3/4 pound or 300g)
2 cups (400g) cubed ham (I used a ham steak)
2 TBS butter (27g)
1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
3 large eggs
1 1/8 cups (10 ounces or 284ml) whole milk
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (115g) sharp/strong cheddar cheese, grated coarsely and divided
1/2 TBS Dijon mustard

Instructions

Make your pastry first. Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Form in to a ball, wrap in cling film and then chill for about half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a 9 inch deep pie dish and a baking tray to set it on.
Roll out your pastry (on a lightly floured surface) to a round roughly 13 inches in diameter. Fit into the pie dish. Trim and crimp the edges and prick the bottom with a fork. Fit a sheet of baking paper inside and fill with beans or rice. Place onto the baking sheet and pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make your filling. (Keep the oven on.)
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and garlic. Cook stirring for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the broccoli, ham, and 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring for about 8 minutes, or until the broccoli is crispy tender. Remove and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
Brush the bottom of the pastry with the Dijon mustard. Top with roughly half of the cheese. Place the broccoli mixture on top of the cheese.
Beat together the eggs, milk, cream, remaining seasonings, and 1/2 of the remaining cheese. Pour this mixture over top of the broccoli mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
Replace the filled pie crust onto the baking sheet and return to the oven.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the custard is completely set and the crust is golden brown. (The tip of a sharp knife inserted near the center should come out clean.)
Leave to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, before cutting into wedges to serve. A salad goes nicely alongside.

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