Chile Quiche

The recipe and photo of this scrumptious Cheese & Chile Quiche in the September 2006 Gourmet magazine was truly inspiring. I knew it would be fabulous!

Their photo was looking down on the quiche with a pie piece being removed, so I went for the close-up side view above. (Click on the photo to see this quiche in all its detail!) Packed full of roasted poblano chiles, this quiche melted in the mouth. One clever idea I learned from this recipe was to use raw finely grated onion in the custard!

I adapted the original recipe, using two eggs plus one egg yolk instead of the six eggs in their recipe. I used 1-1/8 cups of half & half in place of the cup of milk and 1/2 cup of Mexican crema or heavy cream. I used about a cup of grated Monterey Jack cheese in place of their 2-1/2 to 3 cups. And I used a frozen premade pie crust to save time!

Next time I'll use a blend of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese to punch up the cheese taste (MJ is so mild) without having to use 3 cups!

This is definitely a recipe I'll enjoy again and again. There were several awesome chile recipes in Gourmet's Anniversary Edition, along with many wonderful fall recipes (think apples, potatoes, corn) and lots of vegetarian recipes, so be sure to check it out!

Chile Quiche (adapted from Gourmet Sept. 2006):

I frozen 9" deep pie crust
1 lb poblano chiles (3 large), roasted and peeled
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1-1/8 cups half & half
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp finely grated white onion
s & p
1 cup grated Monterey Jack/Cheddar combo

Preheat oven to 350.

Roast the chiles under a grill, turning evenly, until the skins are blackened. Put in a bowl and cover with a plate (or in a plastic bag) and allow to steam for 20 minutes. Peel off the skins, remove the stalks, any stringy ribs, and all of the seeds. Cut the chiles into strips about 2-1/2" long and 1/3" wide.

Beat the eggs and egg yolk. Beat in the half & half, garlic, onion, salt & pepper. Sprinkle some of the grated cheese on the bottom of the pie crust. Put the pie crust on a baking sheet and pour the custard into pie crust and then add the chiles and cheese, saving a little cheese to add on top, if desired.

Bake for about 35 minutes until set.

Serve with a tomato and avocado salad or try it with South of the Border Couscous Salad.