Trim the fat load off a Madame Quiche recipe
| • | Hot stuff! |
By Elaine Magee
Q. I would love it if you could lighten this recipe for Madame Quiche's quiche au fromage that I found on www.epicurious.com. I usually add lots of bacon pieces when I make it, too. I would like you to still use a pie crust though (store-bought) because that's honestly what I will use.
A. Quiche is one of my all-time favorite French foods. It's so versatile. Serve it for brunch, lunch or dinner. I've lightened my share of quiches over the years (with or without crust, vegetarian versions to crab quiche) but I was more than happy to take a look at Madame Quiche's recipe for quiche au fromage.
The reader asked me to still use store-bought pie crust, but she didn't say what type of store-bought crust. I like to use the whole-wheat organic pie crust, which you can find in the health-food store. This at least adds some fiber and some more desirable fat.
To keep the filling as light as possible, I crumbled up 7 slices of turkey bacon and used 3 higher omega-3 eggs blended with 2/3 cup egg substitute (instead of 6 large eggs). I replaced the 2/3 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of whole milk with 1 1/3 cups of fat-free half-and-half.
The recipe also calls for 8 ounces of Gruyere, a high-flavor cheese that doesn't have a reduced-fat option. So, the way I see it, you have two great choices: If you want to use Gruyere, just use one-third less (1 1/3 cups shredded instead of 2 cups). If you want to use all 2 cups of shredded cheese, switch to a reduced-fat Swiss cheese (there are a couple of brands available in most supermarkets).
The light version has 35 percent fewer calories and half the fat, saturated fat and cholesterol of the original recipe. The store-bought pie crust adds 8 grams of fat, 4 grams of which are saturated, so if you want to bring this part down further, make a crustless version. Coat a pie plate generously with canola cooking spray and cover the inside of the pie plate with whole-wheat cracker crumbs.
My whole family really enjoyed the light version of this recipe.
The original recipe contained (including bacon) 445 calories, 33 grams fat, 16 grams saturated fat and 241 milligrams cholesterol per serving.
LIGHT BACON QUICHE LORRAINE
One whole-wheat pie crust or pastry (available in Whole Foods and other specialty supermarkets)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line the pastry with aluminum foil and pastry weights and bake in bottom third of the oven for about 10 minutes. If you don't have pastry weights, poke the crust several times with a fork (so the heat and steam can vent).
In large mixing bowl, combine eggs, egg substitute and fat-free half-and-half by beating on medium speed. Stir in the shredded cheese, bacon and pepper as desired.
Pour the egg mixture into the partially-baked pie crust, spreading the cheese and bacon evenly on the bottom. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top.
Bake in the center of the oven until the filling is nice and golden and cooked throughout (about 35 minutes.) You can test for doneness by inserting a sharp knife into the center of the quiche, and if it comes out clean, it's ready. Let cool to desired serving temperature and enjoy.
Makes 8 servings.
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian. Her latest book is "Food Synergy." Learn more at www.recipdoctor.com.
