Deviled Ham Quiche
/This recipe, if you live anywhere but the American South, is going to be another recipe-within-a-recipe situation. For that reason alone, I am pretty sure that Eleanor cut this one out of Better Homes & Gardens for the cookie recipes adjacent to it, not the quiche. But I've found other quiche recipes in the box before, and my mom had to learn how to make my favourite meal somewhere, so maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, if you're one of those poor souls who doesn't like quiche, I dare you to try this one and not change your mind.
Hear me out before you give up-- I know it sounds weird, but deviled ham is ridiculously good. Sure, it's one of those foods you don't want to admit to liking (like anchovies, or prunes, or those Hostess cakes with the white curlicue of frosting), but also like those foods, when you've got a hankering for it, there's not much else that will suffice. I'll always associate deviled ham with Christmas time at my (other) grandmother's house, where it came to us in styrofoam containers, served with butter crackers and purchased in large quantities from a local restaurant known for making it. We called it ham salad, but I'd wager, having now made deviled ham, that it's exactly the same thing. Anyway, homemade deviled ham on Club crackers is a delicious snack that I haven't had in years, but upon finding this recipe in the box, I knew it was time to attempt to make it myself. Unlike the kind I've had in the US that usually comes with bits of sweet pickle minced into it, the recipe I used for this was fairly basic-- just ham, a wee bit of cream cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard to hold it together, and a whole bunch of herbs and spices to flavour it really well.
If you somehow have access to either pre-made deviled ham or ham salad, it would definitely make this recipe easier, but I can't vouch for texture or taste as I made mine myself because deviled ham, at least in Scotland, is not something you can buy in a can at the grocery store.
If you're still doubting whether this recipe is good, think of it this way: it's basically an open-faced ham and egg sandwich, with some cheese thrown in for good measure. Seriously, how could you go wrong? Serve this with a peach-topped arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette and you've got my favourite summer dinner on a plate. Plus, this quiche reheats like a charm, so you can fight over the last piece, even if it takes you three more days to finish the whole thing.
Some tips:
If you can't access pre-made deviled ham and can't be bothered to make it yourself, you could just dice up some thick-cut pre-cooked ham into this and it would be fine, though slightly less tasty.
The extra moisture from the deviled ham means that the interior of this quiche takes awhile to set-- so you'll definitely want to pre-bake your crust to make sure it stays nice and dry, and to keep it from getting soggy.
This makes a great brunch (ham, eggs, and cheese? What's not to love?), but it works just as well for lunch or dinner, too.
THE VERDICT:
5 spoons out of five. I wasn't kidding when I said we fought over the last piece.
THE RECIPE:
Deviled Ham Quiche
the directions:
Preheat oven to 218C/425F.
Spread deviled ham in pre-baked pie shell.
Sprinkle on cheese and onion.
Beat eggs lightly, then add cream or milk, salt, and nutmeg.
Pour into pie shell and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 150C/300F and bake 30-40 minutes longer or until just set in the middle.
If crust begins to brown too much, wrap edges in foil.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.