Artichoke and Asparagus Quiche

Reading Terminal has been overrun by early spring asparagus! I picked up three bunches and have been eating asparagus for about a week straight. We also had some canned artichokes in the cupboard and a little cheese left from DiBruno Brothers.

Quiche-y Goodness pre-baking

Finished product!

Artichoke and Asparagus Quiche Recipe:

Filling:

1 (14.5 oz) can artichokes drained and squeezed to remove excess water

1 bunch asparagus

1/2 cup cheese, cubed (this is to your preference, I used a hard Parmesan-ish cheese)

4 eggs

1/3 c. sour cream (I used light)

2/3 milk

salt and pepper

Crust:

This can either be made crustless or with a generic pie crust recipe. I can't give out mine... family secret. If you need a recipe, try this set of step-by-step directions.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out dough and fit to a 9 inch pie pan. Place pie crust and pan on a baking sheet to prevent spillage if your crust bubbles over.

First, prepare your asparagus by snapping off the tough, woody stems. I've tried to use them before and trust me, they're nasty.

Fill a mixing bowl with 1 tray of ice cubes and cold water. Set aside, this will be used to shock your asparagus.

Fill a skillet half way with water, cover and bring to a boil. Once the water has come to a rolling boil, toss in your asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes.

Drain your asparagus and immediately toss the spears into the ice bath. This will stop the cooking process and keep the spears nice and crunchy.

Remove the spears from the ice bath and drain. Slice the asparagus into 1 inch pieces.

Dice the cheese and artichokes to match the asparagus in size.

Toss the vegetables and cheese into the bottom of the pie crust. Make sure they cover the bottom of the crust evenly

For the custard:

Thoroughly beat the four eggs together. Add in the sour cream, milk, salt and pepper.

Beat the custard mixture thoroughly and pour over the veggies and cheese.

Bake the quiche at 425 for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 and bake for 50 more minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Can be served either hot or cold.