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Ham and Spinach Quiche for #BakeForACure #SundaySupper

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Ham and Spinach Quiche

Baking is something I very much enjoy. When I bake something for someone it is a real gift from the heart. I think about the person while making it. One ingredient not listed on any recipe is love. Pouring good thoughts and love into the dish gives it a special touch like no other. It is why I am very excited about today’s Bake For A Cure Sunday Supper event with Chantal. I made a ham and spinach quiche and thought about all those in my life who have been touched by cancer.

What is Bake For A Cure? A simple thing to do for someone who has been affected by cancer or for a medical cancer treatment professional. Bake something, sweet or savory, and give it to one of those individuals. Brighten up their day with a special treat you made from the heart. All it takes is a little time and some ingredients.

Ham and Spinach Quiche

Would you like some recipe inspiration? Twenty of the Sunday Supper bloggers are sharing ones they made in a Chantal Easy As Pie dish:

There are even more recipes. Take a look at ones from other members of the team who also baked for a cure:

Are you ready to start baking? How about a new pie dish? Chantal is offering a 20% discount on all pie dishes purchased on their site from October 16 through October 30, 2012. All you have to do is enter the code – BAKE4CURE – at checkout. Click here → Chantal Pie Dishes ← to shop and place an order.

Chantal Easy As Pie Dish

Stay in touch! Keep up with the latest from Chantal on their website, twitter, facebook, and Pinterest.

Ham and Spinach Quiche
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Ham and Spinach Quiche

A recipe for a homemade quiche made with ham, spinach, eggs, and cream.
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Renee

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks
  • 2 1/4 cups White Lily all-purpose flour * or 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup plain cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup chilled lard
  • 1/2 cup ice water plus more if needed

For the quiche:

  • 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs beaten
  • Heavy cream half-and-half, or milk
  • 1/4 cup grated cheese Swiss, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or other
  • About a 1/2 cup of ham cut into small chunks

Instructions

For the crust:

  1. Dice the butter into small pieces and place in the freezer for about an hour.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a knife blade, add the flour and salt. Pulse 1 or 2 times to combine. Add the diced butter and pulse 5 or 6 times. Slice the lard into chunks and add to the mixture. Turn on the processor and add most of the water. Remove the cover and check the dough. When it is done it should appear like small clumps and will hold together when you press a handful together. Add more water if needed and pulse.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and press it together. Using the heel of your hand, push clumps of dough (about the size of an egg) out in 6-inch smears. Form the dough into a round disc and wrap in plastic. Place the wrapped disc in a plastic bag and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
  4. Have a 9-inch pie dish ready and set aside.
  5. Cut the dough. You only need about two-thirds for this recipe. Re-wrap the remaining dough and refrigerate or freeze for future use.
  6. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a round 1/8-inch thick by about 12 inches wide. Move the dough around as you are rolling it out to make sure it is not sticking to the work surface.
  7. Roll the dough up on the rolling pin and un-roll it over the pie dish. Lightly press the dough in place. Pull in 1/2-inch of the dough at the edges. Roll the pin over the edges to cut off excess dough.
  8. Push the dough on the sides and edges of the pie dish to an even thickness and up 1/3 inch above the pan. Prick the bottom of the dough at 1/4-inch intervals with a fork.
  9. Pinch or press a decorative pattern on the rim of the shell. Cover the shell and refrigerate 30 minutes or more.
  10. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  11. Cut a square of aluminum foil 4 inches larger than the pie dish. Lightly butter the shiny side. Turn the foil over (shiny side down) and make a pouch of it. Fill the pouch with a dried beans or pie weights. Line the dough with the foil and press it against the edges. Make sure the beans or pie weights cover the entire bottom and are against the sides.
  12. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans/weights and prick the bottom again with a fork. Bake a few minutes more until the pastry begins to color and separate from the side of the pan. Cool crust completely in the pie dish on a rack.

For the quiche:

  1. Drain and squeeze the liquid from the spinach.
  2. In a frying pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté until softened. Add the spinach and stir. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  4. Add the beaten eggs to a measuring cup and add enough cream, half-and-half, or milk to make 1 1/2 cups. Pour the mixture over the spinach and stir to combine.
  5. Spread all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese in the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Spread the ham chunks on top. Pour the spinach mixture over the ham up to 1/4 inch of the rim. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 35 minutes or until puffed and lightly browned.

Recipe Notes

*The quantities of flours are different because of the unique characteristics of each type of flour. If the edge of the crust has browned in the pre-baking process you can cover the edge with strips of aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes of baking the quiche. This will help to prevent the edges from over-browning. The remaining crust dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen for several months. You can use store-bought pie crust if you do not want to make the crust. Pre-bake the crust according to package instructions.

Recipe adapted from The Way to Cook cookbook by Julia Child.

Disclaimers: I received a pie dish from Chantal for this event. I was under no obligation to give a positive review. All opinions on this blog are my own unless specified or contained within a guest post. This post contains affiliate links. Pie dish image courtesy Chantal.

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Comments

  2. Paula @ Vintage Kitchen says

    A lard dough is perfect for savory fillings. I love this quiche! And baking for a cause is always heartwarming. Happy Sunday Renee!

    Reply

  13. Liz says

    I love the texture of pie crusts made with lard…almost as much as I love a spinach quiche. Definitely comfort food…and perfect to share with a friend. Happy #SundaySupper!

    Reply

    • Renee says

      I have to thank the guidance of Julia Child for the pie crust skills. Her instructions in the cookbook are so thorough and it really helped me a lot.

      Reply

  19. Carla says

    The secret ingredient really is love. Like on tv during the numerous cooking competitions, the ones who show passion (or at least the way it’s edited on tv) are the ones with the best dishes. Quiche is something my parents always ask for. Guess I better be a good daughter 😉

    Reply

  25. Sarah says

    Something about a dish baked with love tastes so much better. And a ham and spinach quiche is even better! Beautiful dish Renee.

    Reply

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