September 8, 2008

Gluten Free Quiche - Make now or Freeze

This year I decided to get myself organized and have been following the Holiday Grand Plan . It suggest you make several freeze ahead meals starting in September so that you are less stressed around the holidays.

Since our 2nd child is due to arrive Mid October and I will have an influx of family here I decided that this may be a good idea so that we can all enjoy our holiday and the new baby.

Today was my first freeze ahead meal and I decided what better than a quiche? It can be a breakfast or a dinner and they are very easy. I have made gluten free quiches before and instead of being bothered with a regular pie crust I typically use frozen hash browns. It's very good!

Here is the recipe I created today:

3 cups loosely packed frozen (but thawed) hash browns
1/3 cup butter melted
6 slices of bacon crisply cooked
6 oz Swiss cheese shredded
1 1/2 cup half-n-half
1/2 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 cup cubed cooked ham
1/4 onion chopped
4 eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Squeeze hash browns between paper towels to remove moisture. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a pie plate to form crust (I use a 9inch one)
3. Drizzle melted butter over the crust and bake for 25 minutes. ( if freezing you can turn off oven when done if you are cooking it now turn oven down to 350)

While the crust is cooking:
1. Cook bacon and crumble
2. Shread Cheese
3. Mix Onion, half-n-half, salt, nutmed, cubed ham, and eggs together (I used my kitchen aid mixer but a blender would work too)

When pie crust is out cool to room temp if freezing ahead... if you are cooking now cool slightly.

Sprinkle crumbled backon and cheese on the bottome of the crust then our the egg mixture over the backon and cheese.

To freeze: Flash Freeze pie and container on a cookie sheet, Then cover and seal for storage.

To prepare: Let thaw completely if frozen and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until top is golden brown and mixture is set.

Cool slightly before serving.