Crustless Cheesy Quiche

I am thrilled to share this recipe with you today because it is my new go-to dish when I need to provide food for a brunch or special event like a baby shower. Calling this a "Quiche" is very misleading because the addition of cottage cheese and baking powder and magic make this a light and airy but full of flavor dish. Inspiration for this recipe was found at SimplyRecipes and I changed it up a bit for our personal tastes.

Slice one onion and saute over medium heat (low and slow) until caramelizing happens. I absolutely love caramelized onions. Start this first and then let it cook down, stirring every so often as you prepare the rest of the quiche, adding olive oil as needed to keep it fro burning. During the last minute of cooking, I added one minced garlic clove, cook for one minute then take the pan off the stove to cool.

Next I took the last three pieces of bacon from my fridge and baked them in the oven on a wire rack set on a jelly roll pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. I like cooking bacon in the oven because everything crisps up and you aren't left with chewy fat. I let this crisp really well and then crumbled it for the quiche later.

Now we need to make a roux. "Roux" is the French word for "brown," and brown describes a roux in color. A roux is a base for gravies, soups, etouffee, gumbo and many other Cajun and French dishes. It serves as a thickener, binder and flavoring. Any cook who has made gravy from pan drippings, flour and milk has made a sort of roux. The principles are very similar. With a roux, however, only flour and fat are used.

1st rule of roux is patience. It takes time to reach the desired stage of brown and not burned and you should be diligent to stir the roux constantly. Cooking slowly and evenly is a must to prevent burning.

2nd rule of roux is to use a heavy pot, a whisk and a wooden spoon. The pot should be heavy and not have any hot spots. A dutch oven or iron skillet works best. A wooden spoon is great to use because it does not impart a metallic flavor to the roux.

3rd rule of roux is we don’t talk about how difficult roux can be – we just put our big girl panties on and make roux.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Using a whisk, stir in flour; cook, stirring until bubbly. Gradually add milk and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. You can switch to a wooden spoon now and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens. Remove from heat; set aside to cool, about 15-20 minutes.

This couldn't be easier to whip up - and customize. You know how I love to have recipes on hand that use up whatever you have in the fridge and pantry. Make this your own!

Next, combine cottage cheese, baking powder, salt and Dijon mustard and 1/2 t dry mustard in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

You could mix this by hand, but why? If you have a kitchen aid mixer, you are a lucky one - use it! In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat eggs and add softened cream cheese.

Add the roux once it has cooled and mix well, but don't over beat. Fold in the shredded cheese. You can use 6 ounces shredded Swiss cheese and 3 T grated Parmesan cheese - or add what you have on hand. I used shredded cheddar and Parmesan.

Oh how I love this porcelain quiche dish with fluted sides, a wedding gift from my friend Nesi. It's perfect for serving this cheesy crustless quiche.  You can use a 10" pie plate too, just butter the sides and bottom of your baking dish well.

You can add the ingredients however you like, I added half of the batter, then sprinkled on all of the caramelized onions.

Then pour in the remaining batter and smooth the surface.

I had these beautiful tomatoes from the farmers market, and sliced them pretty thick, and pressed down onto the top of my quiche.

Meat! Where is the meat? After crisping up some bacon in the oven I let it cool and then crumbled it on top of the quiche. This can absolutely be left out, but not in my house.

Finally I topped everything off with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned.

I pulled the foil back and put the quiche back in the oven for 5 more minutes so everything was nice and brown on top.

Let this rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Jim and I actually had this for dinner, and then ate leftovers for breakfast the next two days. It was great warm out of the oven, we both had two slices each. And I should note it kept very well in the fridge also, tasted great reheated. I think you should make this for a Saturday morning Breakfast for the family - I bet everyone will love it. Enjoy!

{Crustless Cheesy Quiche}