The other day I was reading Chris Scheuers post about crustless mini-quiches. It was about 11am and I was determined to make one for lunch. I dashed to the kitchen, turned the oven on and grabbed the butternut pumpkin/squash from the fridge and began peeling. I know Jamie Oliver says don’t peel but he isn’t my boss. I see those pumpkins lying in the dirt and I’m going to peel. I cut it into pieces about 3/8″ thick. I don’t know what that is in metric. I know the equivalent of an inch but that’s it.
Then I had some small potatoes and I peeled and sliced them the same thickness that I had cut the butternut and threw in some quartered onions. Next time I would cut the onions and sauté them in a pan or maybe cut the onions into smaller pieces. I made two quiches because John is not a cheesehead and I am.
Chris used yoghurt in her little mini quiches and I always use cream so I split the difference and used half yoghurt and half cream. She made more than I did because my recipe only calls for 3 eggs but there are only two of us and I just needed enough custard mixture to cover the veggies. I sprayed the dishes with oil and placed the roasted vegetables on the bottom, then sprinkled the cheese and then put them in the oven before adding the custard. No spillage.
The oven was set at 180C/350F and they cooked for 40 minutes until the center just puffed a little indicating the center was set and it was time for lunch. They were dreamy. I think these are more frittata than quiche but I didn’t make them in a frying pan so I’m going with Chris and calling it a crustless quiche.
- 1¼ cups butternut squash (pumpkin) cut into narrow slices.
- ½ cup peeled and sliced small potatoes
- 1 onion peeled and cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup cream
- ½ cup plain yoghurt
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt (you might like more than I do)
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F and line a baking sheet with paper
- Place the cut butternut, potatoes and onions into a bowl. Add oil and stir to coat then place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until the vegetables are soft and just begin to take on some color.
- While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the custard.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs, cream and yoghurt. Then add salt, pepper, nutmeg and chives.
- When the vegetables are done, take out of the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
- Spray the quiche pan with oil and place the vegetables at the bottom and sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Place the dish in the oven which is still at 180C/350F and pour in the custard, leaving enough room for the egg mixture to expand.
- Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center rises and then immediately remove it from the oven.
- Serve with a side salad for a perfect lunch.
If you don’t follow Chris and Scott over at The Café Sucre Farine, well, you’re doing yourself a disservice. She’s one of the sweetest people on the planet.