Tomato Basil Quiche

A few weeks back I was reading Tartlette- a great blog written by Helene Dujardin, a food stylist, photographer and ex French Pastry Chef. While her food always looks amazing much of it is a little advanced for me, and leans heavily toward baking. (I love baking for special occasions but I'm not going to be whipping up Galettes or Tartes unless there are other people there to eat it!) She did however have a post where she recommended a cookbook she had styled and photographed called Deliciously Organic by Carrie Vitt. I loved the fact that the book was all about using fresh, organic unprocessed food- but what really sold me was the photos of this quiche that they showed on the site. I ordered the cookbook right away and ooo'd and ahhh'd when it arrived in the mail. When I decided to host a brunch for my girlfriends I knew right away I was making this quiche for sure!

Tomato Basil Quiche

adapted from Deliciously Organic by Carrie Vitt

serves 8

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1 pie shell, baked and cooled (can be baked in either a pie dish or tart pan)

3 cups ripe roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 3 tomatoes)

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, slivered

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

3 large eggs, beaten

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and set rack to middle position.

Sprinkle mozzarella over baked and cooled pie shell. Layer tomatoes, basil and chives over the cheese.

Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, mustard, sea salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour into crust, over layers and bake for 30- 35 minutes or until lightly golden brown. 

printable recipe

Nutrition Information: 247 Calories, 17.6g Fat, 7.3g Sat. Fat, 91mg Cholesterol, 280mg Sodium, 17.5g Carbohydrates, 1g Fiber, 5.9g Protein

The original recipe called for less mozzarella cheese, but cheese is yummy so I added more. I also used slightly more Dijon mustard. The quiche was quickly devoured and there were no left overs. Two of my friends that attend brunch asked me for the recipe the next day! I prepped all the layers ahead of time, and kept the egg mixture in a separate bowl, then poured it into the pie shell and popped it into the oven when the first person arrived at my house. It made entertaining much easier having less fussing to do in the kitchen. Normally I would have liked to make my own pie crust, but I ran out of time the day before and since I was in a pinch I grabbed some premade pie crust to make this. (Find it in the refrigerated section with dinner rolls)

At brunch I also served Cream Cheese Breakfast Buns with Blackberry Preserves... mmmmm so yummy