Summer Quiche

A quiche is one of the best ways to harmonize the flavors of midsummer, while giving yourself the protein that nourishes your body. Summer cooking is all about making the most of what's in season and savoring it while it lasts.

The fantastic thing about this recipe I'm about to give you is how much room there is for creativity when it comes to everything you can add to it. What's popping from your garden right now? What do you need to use up from your weekly farmer's market haul?

This, to me, is what makes a culinary experience really exciting. I am a big fan of recipes that can be followed loosely and leave plenty of room for improvisation. In fact, someday I plan to write a cookbook titled "You Don't Need This" which will mainly be just pictures of cows and yummy fresh veggies, offset by pretty dish towels. (First, though, I need to work on my photography skills.)

The possibilities for variation also give you the option of serving this quiche fairly often without boring your family/your guests/yourself. There are a few non-negotiables, though: eggs, meat, and cheese. A quiche without one of these things would be a sad little dish indeed.

And -- good news! -- each of these can be sourced from our farm, ready to make your quiche rich in protein, Vitamin A, Omega 3s, and the glorious yellow of pastured eggs.

You can make this with a crust or without. I use Ree Drummond's Perfect Pie Crust recipe, because I am a huge fan of butter, and so is she.

Crust:

·        1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·        1/2 tsp salt

·        2/3 cup butter, cold

·         1 egg

·        3 tbsp cold water

·        1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in your butter, mix until crumbly, and beat in the egg. Add water and apple cider vinegar. Roll out on a floured surface, or simply press with your fingers into a 9x9 pan -- it doesn't have to look beautiful because it's going to be covered, and it will be delicious anyway.

Quiche filling:

·        8 eggs

·        1/2 lb sausage or ground pork, browned

·        salt and pepper to taste

·        a modest handful of fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme, or your herbs of choice

·        1 cup cheese, grated

·        1/2 onion, chopped finely

·        anything else you want to add! May I suggest sweet peppers, spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, or summer squash.

Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk together. Add in your sausage, veggies, herbs, and spices. Pour into crust, smoothing out with a spoon, and then sprinkle your cheese on top. I like to then use the spoon to mix the cheese into the eggs a little bit.

I generally use cheddar cheese, but I am giving you permission to use any kind you want. Last week for me it was just the block I found in the cooler without a label. To this day I'm not 100% sure what it was.

Bake your quiche at 375 for 35-40 minutes, or until the top of the quiche is just as browned and bubbly as you'd like it to be.

 Fetch some eggs, cheese, and ground sausage from our farm store and then you can take it from there. Take a picture of your masterpiece and tag us @sweet.grass.dairy on Instragram -- I'd love to see what direction this recipe takes in your kitchen!