Monday, September 20, 2010

Pineapple & Ham Quiche


I love comfort food...


food that melts in my mouth and makes me feel like I'm home and settling in, enjoying a dish that has probably been made for years.


Well, guess what, quiche has!

A tidbit of history: Most people think quiche originated in France, but according to Wikipedia (and we all know that it MUST be true), quiche originated in Germany. Actually in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, an area the French later renamed Lorraine. Can’t you just see all those pies being made during the medieval times? Quiche comes from the word kuchen, which means cake in German. The pie was originally open-topped and consisted of egg and cream custard with smoked bacon or lardoons.

The bottom was a bread dough, not a crust. Not until later did cooks start adding cheese to the “cake.”

Nowadays, quiche is made with all sorts of ingredients, different vegetables, different cheeses. In The Long Quiche Goodbye, Charlotte makes a different quiche each week as an "extra" from The Cheese Shop. One of her favorites (and mine, inspired by a pizza that my son loved) is pineapple and ham quiche. I can't tell you how many people have written to tell me how much they've enjoyed this particular recipe at the back of the book.

It's definitely a "brunch" quiche, with sweetness reminiscent of French toast. Drizzled with syrup? A delight.

Do you have a favorite quiche? Will you share?




HAM AND PINEAPPLE QUICHE

Ingredients:

1 pie shell (home baked or frozen)

Dash of white pepper

2 slices pineapple, fresh, diced.

4 slices thin ham [I use Applegate Farms Black Forest Ham], diced.

2 oz. sour cream

2 oz. light cream or whipping cream

2 oz. milk

2 eggs

1 Tbs. brown sugar

2 oz. shredded Edam or Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Sprinkle white pepper on pie shell.

Arrange meat in pie shell. Arrange pineapple on top. Sprinkle with sugar.

Mix milk, creams, and eggs. Pour into pie crust.

Sprinkle with cheese. Dash with cinnamon.

Bake 35 minutes at 375 until quiche is firm and lightly brown on top.

Note, serve this with a crisp sauvignon blanc. The tart of the wine will go perfectly with the sweet of the pie.


If you'd like to know more about The Long Quiche Goodbye and want to download a few other recipes from me (on recipe cards), click on this link to my website: Avery Aames. I've posted recipes in the "morsels" section. There's lots of other fun stuff, as well. And sign up for the fan club to get in on the next contest.


13 comments:

  1. First... Pineapple in things like this... love it. well hidden sweet bites surprising your buds. Wonderful!

    Right now, I am in the middle of making Pulled Pork leftovers. If I had seen this a couple days ago, would have made the cut, but I am almost out.

    little pulled pork, BBQ sauce, provolone cheese (the perfect cheese for pulled pork)...

    and now I want to toss in some pineapple!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love pineapple and ham together. Pizza is my first thought (it's my favorite type of pizza.) And this would be fantastic in a quiche. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so glad you like the mix. I've had so many people write me after reading the The Long Quiche Goodbye saying they were glad the recipe was in the book. Had to show it "cooked" and ready to go.

    Isn't it fun to experiment with flavors?

    Enjoy.

    Avery

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a fun and informative post. I've just found this blog, and I can see how I'm going to spend my day. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Welcome, Serene. I'm so thrilled you found us. We have lots of stories and recipes to share. Enjoy!
    ~Avery

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love quiche. And this sounds divine! Elizabeth and I might have to share a pizza some day - ham & pineapple is my favorite also. I like to toss pineapple chunks into my baked beans.
    p.s. - I've down loaded THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE onto my iPad in my Kindle app. oh boy!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, yum. I am a pineapple and ham lover
    and I never thought to put it in a quiche. Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kaye, a Kindle reader. My husband would love you. I love paper, but I sure appreciate the digital efficiency. So glad you're getting a chance to read it!

    Pineapple in baked beans. That sounds delish!

    ~Avery

    ReplyDelete
  9. Pineapple adds a spark to so many dishes. Love it. But, you know, I think I'd like to try it on bread instead of pie dough. Hmm. Intriguing notion!

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nice background on the history of the quiche, and I love your inspiration for this -- your son's love of "Hawaiian" pizza. The sweet of the pineapple and saltiness of the ham has got to be a delicious combo (and I'm with you on the ham, Black Forest is my fave). Thanks for another great recipe, Avery!

    Cheers,
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

    ReplyDelete
  11. This sounds wonderful!!! My fave pizza is pineapple and bacon...so I'm willing to try this with ham :-) I'm stuck at home the next few weeks so this will definitely be made...thanks for the history lesson and the recipe!
    Nanc
    I'm a homeschool mom to an aspiring chef so part of his history lesson this week will be the history of quiche!!! Perhaps I should have him make it??!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Nutritional information on Applegate Black Forest Ham can be found here: http://bit.ly/dpcf5f

    ReplyDelete