It really pleases me to find fresh asparagus pretty much year round now in the market. I so wish, though, that I could always find the big, fat stalks which are the tastiest. Those little tinier-than-a-pencil stems really don’t pack the flavor punch the larger ones do. I’m not exactly sure why those tiny ones are promoted as gourmet myself.
With just the two of us, I usually find myself with some extra stalks leftover after roasting or grilling a few others. Any you know me, I’m not one to throw food away so those leftover stems usually find their way into a salad, such as this Smoked Salmon and Orzo Salad, or some type of quiche like this one.
Either way, it’s a win-win.
I often make up a couple of quiches at a time and either pass one on to a neighbor or friend or just freeze them to have for those days…you know, THOSE days, right? Quiches are also a good way to use up extra eggs or extra egg yolks when I have those on hand.
Oh, and those caramelized onions? I hope you’ve adopted my easy way of making those and keeping them on hand. I was so surprised at the number of comments I received when that slow cooker post went live on Taste Arkansas. Try it. Trust me; you’ll wonder why in the world you haven’t make caramelized onions this way before
- 1 cup 1-inch asparagus pieces
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups heavy cream or half cream and half milk (not Half and Half)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 2Tablespoons butter cut into pea-sized pieces
- ¾-1 cup grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese
- 3/4 cup chopped Petit Jean Meats hickory smoked ham, optional
- ¾ cup caramelized onions
- 1 8-inch pate brisee crust
- Heat a medium saucepan of water to boiling; add in asparagus pieces and simmer for two minutes; drain and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Beat the eggs with the cream and seasonings until well blended.
- Place a layer of grated cheese, ham, onions and asparagus in the pie shell. Pour half of the cream mixture over the cheese, ham and asparagus layer. Repeat.
- Sprinkle the butter over the top.
- Bake in the upper third of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until puffed and browned. You may want to cover the quiche with a sheet of aluminum foil if the edges begin to brown too rapidly.
- Cool slightly before cutting. Cut into wedges and serve on warmed plates.
- Big Batch Caramelized Onions {Slow Cooker} http://www.tastearkansas.com/slow-cooker-big-batch-caramelized-onions/
- Pate brisee http://diningwithdebbie.net/2013/02/12/pate-brisee-crust-making-quiche-with-julia-part-1/
Yum! I love quiche – all types. I have never thought of adding veggies like asparagus to a quiche. I recall seeing your post on the carmelized onions. Going to give that a try as I get impatient with the stove top method. Amy @ http://thegiftedgabber.com/
I promise, once you try the slow cooker caramelized onion method, you’ll never go back! I love smoked salmon and asparagus quiche…give it a try sometime. Thanks for stopping by.