Basic Cheese Quiche Recipe

In medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, thyme and salt until blended. Carefully pour over filling in pie shell.

Bake in center of oven until center is almost set but jiggles slightly when dish is gently shaken and knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges. Yields 6 servings.

Insider Info on Making Cheese Quiche

If using frozen pie shell, choose the deep-dish size. Always bake your pie shell first to avoid a soggy crust.

For a nontraditional “crust,” mix cooked rice, orzo, spinach or hash browns with a beaten egg and press into a greased quiche dish or pie plate.

Make fillings from your favorite foods or from leftovers. Use a combination of cheese, meat, seafood or poultry, and vegetables. Filling ingredients should be cooked, not raw. Pieces should be cut fairly small and drained well. Some classic filling combinations are cheddar cheese and ham, or sautéed onion, bacon and Swiss Gruyère cheese.

Individual quiches can be baked in pastry tart shells, muffin tins or hollowed out vegetables.

How to tell if it’s done: Baked custards should be removed from the oven before the center is completely set. The center will jiggle slightly when cup or dish is gently shaken. Custard will continue to “cook” after it’s removed and center will firm up quickly. Overbaked custard may curdle.

The knife test: Test for doneness with a thin-bladed knife. Insert knife about 1 inch from the center of a one-dish custard, midway between center and edge of cups. If knife is clean when pulled out, the custard is done. If any custard clings to the blade, bake a few minutes longer and test again.

Cheese fillings: Quiche fillings containing cheese may continue to test “wet” even after they are done. Tap or gently shake the dish. Remove quiche from oven when the center is almost set but still jiggles a bit.

For richer custard, substitute half-and-half for the milk.

Need a party appetizer? Bake quiche in a square or rectangular pan. Cut into small squares or triangles, or bake in mini muffin cups.