Easy to make and delicious — use the Asparagus to make a “Christmas Tree” and you have the perfect main dish for Christmas morning!
North Pole Breakfast 2012 was a SUCCESS! Snowflakes and snowballs were everywhere … elves sat at each place setting … and a bunch of yummy, holiday food was gobbled up by the Kidlets and our guests.
I’m going to give all the details on Monday, including links for some of the ideas I implemented and a few of the dishes I made. It really was so beautiful, so fun and something I enjoyed from start to finish.
(Except for the cleaning-up part. I wasn’t too fond of that.)
For now, I want to share the unbelievable Asparagus and Ham Crustless Quiche I made as our main savory dish: cheesy and full flavor thanks to black forest ham and sun-dried tomatoes — and a bit Christmasy thanks to an Asparagus “tree” on the surface — this quiche comes together in about thirty minutes and is great for a holiday brunch or an evening dinner.
I found the original recipe on (of course) Pinterest, but it required ingredients I either didn’t have on hand or couldn’t find in my local grocery store. A few substitutions and a change in the cooking method worked out perfectly, leaving us with a recipe even the babies in attendance scarfed down.
And that — folks — is proof of good eats.
So, here it is (adapted from Ile de France’s Comte & Asparagus Frittata), my favorite new addition to our annual North Pole Breakfast.
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4 medium Shallots, finely sliced
- 9 Eggs
- ¾ cup Milk
- 1 and ½ cups grated Gruyere, plus 2 tablespoons of grated Gruyere for topping
- ½ cup grated or diced White Cheddar
- ⅔ cup chopped Black Forest ham (about 4-5 deli slices, cut on a 2 or 3 thickness)
- 1 6.25 oz package of Sun-dried Tomatoes (dry, not packed in oil), julienned
- Cracked Black Pepper
- Pinch of ground Cayenne Pepper
- 6 Asparagus spears, bottom ends trimmed
- Preheat oven to 400° F and prepare a glass 8 inch, "deep dish" pie pan with either butter or cooking spray.
- In skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and then add the sliced shallots, sautéing till soft and translucent.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
- Fold in the Gruyere and White Cheddar, ham, sun-dried tomatoes, both the black and cayenne pepper, and the sautéed shallots.
- Pour the egg and cheese mixture into your prepared pie pan.
- Using a mandoline (or vegetable peeler), carefully slice the asparagus spears into ribbons.
- Arrange the asparagus ribbons on top of the egg mixture, in a triangle, "tree-shape".
- Place the pan in the oven and bake until the center of the quiche is firm/set, about 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the reserved Gruyere.
- Cut and Serve.
