May 1: Swiss Chard, Mushroom and Gruyere Quiche

I decided to throw together a quiche on a Sunday morning, as we had one last pre-made crust in our freezer. I made this version based on this recipe and the ingredients we had in the house. 

I sadly, have come to realize that me and mushrooms don't mix.  I cooked just a handful of sliced mushrooms for Paul's half of the quiche. The recipe suggest roasting them in the oven, which also could work, but I was starting to get dangerously hungry, so I went for immediacy.

It has been a painful separation. *sniff*

We had some swiss chard from the previous week's produce box, so I washed and chopped that to add into the mix. I cooked it down in a frying pan as well, just until it was wilted. Behind it, you can see the freshly grated Gruyere. 

Swiss Chard is a nice alternative to spinach here.

While all of the vegetables were cooking, I mixed together the egg/cream/milk/salt/pepper all together in a bowl. I added in some fresh rosemary as well. 
 

You layer the vegetables and half of the cheese in first, then add the egg mixture on top. The last half of cheese goes on the very top. The pan is very full, so you have to be careful transporting it into the oven.

I forgot to take a photo of it before it went in the oven, but hopefully this gives you a sense of what it looked like going in.

We ended up cooking the quiche for longer than the suggested 30-35 minutes because the middle was not set. I realized that I had set the oven to 350 degrees, not 375 as suggested, which slowed the cooking time. It was in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Browned cheesy goodness.

Both Paul and I thought the swiss chard made a great substitution for asparagus (in the original recipe). I think we probably could have cooked the quiche even a little longer to have the eggs become a little more firm. They were definitely just set in the middle, and a little soft for me (for what I like in a quiche).  Paul and I were starting to get hangry (hungry/angry), so I yanked it out at the 45 minute mark. We nuked the leftovers in the microwave later that week, and they were totally fine (not dried out).

Thoughts for next time: 

• preheat the oven to the right temperature
• try spinach instead of swiss chard
• maybe use Parmesan instead of Gruyere
• diced tomato instead of mushrooms