Crab Quiche with Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon, Red Onion and Mandarin Oranges

Quiche ingredients

9 inch pie shell (partially baked and still warm)
4 green onions
5 large eggs
1½ c. half and half
1 t. fresh thyme, minced
½ t. black pepper
¼ t. salt
2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
3 T. dry sherry
2-6oz. cans white crab meat, drained
1 t. dry mustard

 

 

 Blind-bake a homemade single-crust or pre-made pie shell, at 375º for 10 minutes.  Roll crust, refrigerate for one hour, remove and prick crust with fork, place foil in crust, fill with dry beans - this will keep the crust from shrinking in plate.  Remove from oven, remove foil and beans, and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove crust from oven.

 

 

In a bowl, mix eggs, half and half, thyme, black pepper, salt and mustard.  Mix to combine.

 

In pie shell, add grated Swiss cheese, crab meat, green onions, and egg/milk mixture.  Reduce oven to 350º and place quiche into oven.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

In this demonstration, we will serve with a wilted spinach salad.


Spinach salad ingredients

2-5oz. bags baby spinach
10 slices bacon, chopped
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ c. red onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. sugar
½ t. salt
½ t. black pepper
6 T. cider vinegar
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
2 c. sliced button mushrooms

Rinse and thoroughly dry spinach, mushrooms, and drained oranges and place in a large bowl.

 

Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined bowl and pour off all but 4 T. bacon fat.  Add extra-virgin olive oil to bacon fat in skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until onion and garlic are soft, about 3 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in vinegar and then pour immediately over the spinach and toss to wilt.