Carefree Gourmet Cook - Joyce McCombs - Standby Favorites

The recipes I’m sharing today have never let me down and are ones I know I can take to work or a potluck or even (gasp!) make at home with minimal fuss and maximum yum factor. I’m pleased to have had success just last week with two of these old stand by favorites, and hope they prove as easy for you to make and rely on as they are for me.

I made a quiche a while back for a working lunch meeting, and I’m still hearing about it from my library colleague and favorite book buddy, Tiki Levinson. At a recent gathering, she gently but insistently reminded me that I still owed her the dang recipe, and as she seemed to be in the midst of a serious quiche craving, I thought I’d better get it in the column quick! This is the most reliable, expandable and delicious quiche I’ve ever tried. It’s not just the ingredients (which can vary wildly, depending on what’s in the pantry or the checkbook) that make this so tasty. One secret is the half and half, one is the crust procedure and one is the oven temperature. The half and half creates an even, silky texture that has great mouth feel. Sprinkling the flour and cheese over the bottom keeps the crust from getting soggy. And the “hot oven first, reduced heat later” routine helps the quiche set up quickly at the edges without drying out the middle. Try this method with smoked salmon and bits of cream cheese, or cooked hamburger and cheddar cheese, or turkey and pepper jack, too.

To view the recipes we invite you to browse our Carefree Gourmet pages.