Sautéed Onion and Mushroom Quiche Pie

Do you ever get in a food rut sometimes, cooking the same things over and over and over again? Well, I do. And quiche is one of those food rut dishes for me (Spinach…always spinach…for years and years…spinach). But, I just shook things up a bit in our little quiche consuming world by using an assortment of spices I got from The Spice House. I said to myself, “Enough is enough! How much spinach can one person eat in the form of a quiche?”

I started by ditching the green stuff and using mushrooms and onions instead, along with a couple of surprise spices added to the filling AND the crust. Let me pause right here to say that if you have one of those store bought frozen pie shells in your freezer, use it! You don’t have to get all gourmet and fancy. Your family will love you and the quiche regardless. Give this quiche a try. It’s husband and teenaged son approved! Funny note, when my son was little he refused to call it a “quiche.” In his opinion it was a “quiche pie” and he would never use the word quiche by itself. So on to the quiche pie recipe…

Sautéed Onion and Mushroom Quiche Pie
by Maryjo
Crust recipe adapted from the crust recipe for Potato Bacon Torte by Melissa d'Arabian

Crust (makes two pie shells):
2 sticks cold butter, cubed
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon The Spice House Porcini "Extra AA" Dried Mushrooms, Powdered
1 teaspoon The Spice House Garlic Powder, Granulated Organic
8 to 10 Tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large yellow or white onion, sliced (about 2 cups raw)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup water (if needed)
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups raw)
4 large eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon The Spice House Porcini "Extra AA" Dried Mushrooms, Powdered
1 teaspoon The Spice House Onion Powder, Granulated Organic
1 teaspoon The Spice House Garlic Powder, Granulated Organic
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, stems removed, lightly chopped
1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/8th teaspoon fresh cracked The Spice House Brazilian Pink Peppercorns
1 cup half & half
2/3 cup mayonnaise
8 ounces Baby Swiss cheese, shredded

To make the crust:
Put the cold butter, flour, salt, mushroom powder, and garlic powder into a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing 1 to 2 times to combine before adding the next Tablespoon of water. When the dough starts to clump together slightly and looks a bit like wet sand (usually after 8 Tablespoons of water in my house), stop! You don’t want to put too much water in there. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a disk. Wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (overnight is even better). When you’re ready to make the quiche, roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough to line your pie dish (either a 9 inch or 10 inch dish will do the trick). Carefully place the crust into the pie dish, trimming and decorating the edges however you like, and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the filling. Anytime I have two disks of pie dough and only use one, I throw the other into a zip top bag and put it in the freezer for another day.

For the filling:
Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet (I used a 12 inch cast iron). Warm the pan over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onions to the pan and sprinkle with half of the Kosher salt (1/8th teaspoon). Cook slowly until they are soft and golden brown. Reduce the heat and add a little water if they start getting too dark too fast. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Be patient. You’ll be glad you were. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside to cool.

Add the remaining olive oil, the mushrooms, and the remaining Kosher salt to the skillet and sauté until they are golden brown (they will shrink down considerably). Set them aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and whisk until combined. Special note: I used pink pepper corns because they have a milder, fruitier flavor than black pepper, but black pepper is perfectly fine. So don’t let this one ingredient scare you off!

Pour the mixture into your 9 or 10-inch unbaked pie shell. Place the pie dish onto a clean baking sheet (just in case it spills over the edge while cooking) and bake the quiche on the middle rack for 1 hour, turning the quiche halfway through cooking for even browning. If you think it’s getting too brown before it’s finished cooking, just put a foil tent over the top. Allow it to cool for 15 to 20 minutes because it will need time to firm up a bit before cutting and serving.

Now, please excuse me…I have some quiche pie to eat!