Host a beautiful brunch with this delicious Asparagus & Ham Quiche.
Asparagus & Ham Quiche
Disclaimer: Please note that there are affiliate links on this page where I will earn a commission, if you purchase through that link. First and foremost, my main goal is to point out resources you may enjoy using as well.
As mentioned in my Best Easter Ham post, this Asparagus & Ham Quiche is a great recipe for leftover ham. I also love the spoke pattern of the asparagus spears topping this quiche. It adds a touch of elegance, making it special enough for an Easter or Mother’s day brunch. In addition to the asparagus on top, there’s also sauteed asparagus incorporated into the quiche. The other savory fillings include sauteed onion, chopped ham, dried dill and Swiss cheese. A delightful combination that screams Spring!
This quiche also reheats really well. If made in advance, you can pop the whole quiche or individual slices into a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes. Rewarming the quiche in the oven maintains the crispness of the crust. If that’s not important, you can opt for rewarming slices in the microwave for a minute or two.
3 Options For Crust
- Make your own scratch crust (recipe included)
- Use refrigerated crust and tuck it into your favorite quiche dish (I took this route)
- Use a frozen deep dish pie crust (easy button)
Like many people, I have found myself wondering, what can I use instead of pie weights. Even though I’ve accumulated many kitchen gadgets over the years, I’ve never invested in these handy, low cost weights. So I find myself wandering out to my hubby’s work bench and borrowing some washers to do the job. I couldn’t resist taking a photo and sharing this amusing little kitchen hack of mine.
A few additional tips:
- Cheese – typically I add a little extra cheese in most recipes, because, why not? I did notice that using extra cheese on the top covered up any hint of the ham and asparagus in the quiche. If that doesn’t matter to you, no worries! I like it when the texture of the quiche peeks through a little, so I will stick with the 1/2 cup next time.
- Bake Time – I am providing a range of 40-50 minutes for the bake time. My recipe called for 50 minutes which caused my quiche to get a tad too brown on top.
Asparagus & Ham Quiche
Ingredients
Crust (can substitute refrigerated or frozen deep dish crust)
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold (1 stick)
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 4 tbsp ice water, approximate
Quiche
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, about 8 average spears
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 6 ounces ham, chopped
- 6 large eggs, whisked
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp dried dill
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Crust
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt. Using the large holes on a grater, grate the butter into the flour mixture, tossing every few strokes to coat the bits of butter with flour. In a measuring cup, whisk the vinegar and ice water. Stir gently into the flour mixture and use your hands to mix and form a ball. If needed, add a little bit more water. Form into a disk and roll out on a counter sprinkled with a little flour. Put in pie pan or quiche dish and flute edges. Cover with foil and chill until ready to use. If using prepared pie crust, fit into pie pan or quiche dish and flute the edges. Chill while the filing is prepared.
Quiche
- Cut off the woody root ends from the asparagus and discard. Then cut the tips into 3 inch long pieces. Chop the remaining stems into thin pieces and reserve. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, then add the onion. Lower heat and cook slowly, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the stems (not the tips), cooking for a few minutes, until bright green. Remove from heat to cool. Stir in chopped ham.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill the foil-lined, chilled pie crust with pie weights, dry beans (or your own creative alternative) and bake for 10 minutes. If you are using frozen crust, pre-bake according to directions on the package. Remove crust from oven and lower heat to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, 1/2 c. of shredded cheese, salt, dill and pepper. Stir in the cooled onion mixture, then spread in pie crust. Top with remaining 1/2 c. cheese and arrange asparagus tips in a spoke pattern. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the top is puffed and golden. Cool slightly on a rack and serve warm. Quiche can be refrigerated for up to 4 days, tightly covered. To reheat, place quiche in a 300 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or microwave individual slices for 1 to 2 minutes on high.
Looks like a great brunch addition!
This looks like a delightful brunch item. I love the picture with the washers and bolts in it.