Delicious Reading: Bringing quiche back

I can remember, as a child, always hearing "quiche" being pronounced in such a way that I knew it was very special. Whether it was my mother earnestly complimenting one a host had made for a party or my father pooching his lips to mock the "fancy" French dish, quiche had cache.

A little research shows that my experience with quiche is chronologically right on. I was born in 1976 and, according to Hugh Merwin of Grub Street, "The majestic pastry, with its elegant fluted edges and yellow eggy filling, crested in the 1970s and peaked in the early '80s with the shame-inducing best-seller 'Real Men Don't Eat Quiche.'"

Even though that novel was satire, quiche seemed to be on the way out, along with leg warmers and Cabbage Patch Kids. Similar fates have befallen other popular foods, but a few have made a comeback -- some in a big way, like fondue, and others more quietly, like quiche.

I was at a breakfast gathering recently where several quiche were served. My kids wondered what it was. I told them it was like breakfast casserole (something they have experienced in myriad ways growing up in Missouri), but with crust. I asked the cook for the recipe and she shared it with me later by sending an iPhone picture of it from the cookbook it was in -- a compilation of recipes from folks she went to church with, published in 1985. Of course.

This more practical version with pre-made pie crust might veer quite a bit from Lorraine, France's classic quiche recipe, which only contains heavy cream, eggs and bacon or chopped ham, but no cheese. But then, that quiche Lorraine is actually not the original. Various sources suggest the authentic quiche Lorraine originated from the German culture, in which the "quiche" was an egg custard pie baked in a brioche pastry -- and not in the typical French pie dough. The very name of "quiche" is derived from "kuchen" (meaning "cake") in the specific half-French, half-German dialect that used to be spoken in that Northern region of France.

But authentic or not, this quiche baked up beautifully and served as a birthday dinner for my mom. I encourage you to bring quiche back this spring. It's perfect for this time of year and can still make any event seem a little more special.

Quiche

Ingredients:

8 ounces shredded cheese*

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup green onion, chopped*

1 cup chopped ham, spinach, sausage or crabmeat*

Salt and pepper to taste*

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Directions:

Mix first eight ingredients and pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

*I made one quiche with mozzarella cheese and chopped spinach. I added a dash of nutmeg and dry mustard to the mixture. I made the other quiche with cojack cheese, chopped chicken-maple sausage and no additional salt and pepper. I did not put the chopped green onion in either of them because of my children's preferences.

About Brooke

Brooke Clubbs is a Jackson mom of three, a freelance writer and a communications instructor.