Spinach Mushroom Quiche

Having decided to look at various quiche recipes, the Artist of the questing duo decides to make this a special project out of this choice. What could she possibly do with a recipe submitted to a website like allrecipes.com? Well just wait and see! 

Spinach Mushroom Quiche
1 prepared 9 inch single pie crust
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 (10 ounce) bag fresh spinach
1 (8 ounce)  package sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 (4 ounce) container crumbled feta cheese
1/2 (8 ounce) package shredded Swiss cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 400° F (200°C) 
2. Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish
3. whisk eggs, milk, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl 
4. Gently combine spinach, mushrooms, onion, and feta cheese in a separate bowl. Spread spinach-mushroom mixture in the prepared pie dish; top with half the Swiss cheese
5. Pour egg mixture evenly over the filling, swirling egg mixture in bowl to spread seasonings through the eggs; top the quiche with remaining Swiss cheese. Place quiche on a baking sheet. 
6. Bake in preheated oven until the quiche is lightly puffed and browned, 45 to 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the filling should come out clean. Cool for 30 minutes before serving 

~ The Artist ~ 

     Alright folks who may be choosing to make something for themselves or for a loved one this Valentine's Day, I would like share a little bit of advice when cooking. I have found over the years of cooking that it's similar to speaking. There will be times where you know what to say, in this case using a recipe as a script to follow, which comes out the way you expect. Then there are times when that looking at your 'script' that it doesn't seem right. That the predicted ending does not articulate correctly what you instinctively feel. These are the times that you will find yourself using the recipe as a simple guide and then changing things here and there to make the end result come out the way you see fit. Will the appearance of the end result be exactly like it is displayed on that little recipe? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But the presentation shouldn't be the first thing that you should be concerned with. Does it taste good? How is the texture against your tongue? These are the parts of your 'conversation' that are just as important as the pretty little display on your plate. Of course I will probably get a great many professional chefs disagreeing with me on this but oh well. 

     Originally I was debating if I should even share the recipe for this due to the fact that I had change so many things along the way but my other half suggested that it would be best if I did but also mentioned the changes I had done. I had to agree with his logic on this so please bear with me on this one. 

Changes made to recipe: 

-Switched out 'store bought pie crust' with making homemade savory tart crust 

-Omitted parsley 

-Cheeses used include feta, mozzarella, and raw milk gouda 

-Cooked the onions, garlic and half of the mushroom first before putting together the spinach-mushroom mixture

     The end result of the changes that I made to the recipe was that the cheeses worked together in harmony with a balance of creamy, salty and mild sharpness. With the onions having been cooked before hand, the subtle onion flavor enhanced the flavors of the other seasonings and wasn't overpowering as it would have been if left in a raw state when put with the spinach-mushroom mixture. I ended up pairing the quiche with some small turkey sausages and a light salad to round everything off.