Brunch Quiche with Prosciutto, Sweet Baby Peas, Pesto & White Cheddar

 

When I was a little girl, Easter was a love/hate thing for me! I loved our little Easter Egg Hunt that my mom would always do for us! Hiding Easter candy and trinkets all over the living room to find! And of course, loved my Easter Basket full of wonderful surprises of chocolates, jelly beans, Peeps, and other assorted fun candies….but boy I hated going to church!

Not that I hated the service so much, although I was never thrilled over that either, but I always hated wearing a frilly dress and those gawd awful itchy tights!!! I was a tomboy through and through, and dresses were pure torture!

And the shoes??? Those shiny white patent leather ones with the little buckle on top that always hurt my feet….don’t even get me started!  My favorite part of the day was coming home from church and changing into my “play clothes” as fast as I possibly could! 

Though my hubby and I don’t celebrate many religious holidays, I do enjoy preparing special, traditional meals and am always thankful for everything I’m fortunate enough to have in my life. But I do that every day. 😉

Along with a festive meal prepared later in the day, I also enjoy making a special breakfast or brunch. This year I decided to make one of my favorite brunch dishes that was requested often back when I used to cater. It’s a bit rich, so one pie goes a long ways which is perfect for a brunch!

You can slice it into thin, delicate slices that look so pretty on a tray or platter! (*Slice them half the width that’s pictured above which would be 16 slices instead of 8.)

 

 

For this I cheat, *gasp*!, and use a Pillsbury pie sheet crust that actually works really well for this.

It gets crispy and sturdy, and comes out of the pan beautifully and easily. Important when you’re serving guests!

It’s then filled with sharp white cheddar, prosciutto, and sweet baby peas! Then a pesto, cream and egg custard is poured over and baked in the oven on a rack slightly lower than center to get that crust nice and done.

It comes out beautiful every time! 

 

 

*The only thing you need to know about this is, the salt. If all is going to be eaten the first day and no leftovers are expected, you can go fairly heavy on the salt. Up to one teaspoon for salt-lovers.

But if it’s a small group, or even just for two, and it’s going to be enjoyed for several days, you’ll want to cut back on the salt quite a bit.

Because overnight, the salt from the prosciutto will seep into the pie and make it extra salty.

So if going that route, I’d only use 1/4-1/2 teaspoon. And only a 1/4 teaspoon for those who are salt-sensitive. We love salt, but some just can’t handle it hardly at all, so just use your own best judgement. (I will make a note of this at the bottom of the recipe. 😉 ) 

 

 

This goes extremely well with toasted and buttered baguette slices, fresh fruits, potato and asparagus dishes, and salads of all kinds!

I find, when serving a crowd, that buying a baguette works so much better than hefty rolls or even mini bagels. And if you slice it yourself, you can slice it thinner and it’s not too much bread and just looks nicer.

And if you’re REALLY lucky to live in a warm climate, a platter of juicy, red ripe tomatoes sprinkled with a little salt and pepper are a bright, fresh and cheerful side that takes almost no time or work at all. 

 

 

If wanting to do something super fun, try putting out a “Mimosa Bar”! Some chilled bottles of Champagne and Ginger Ale, along with little carafes of chilled assorted fruit juices!

I used to get the little tiny single-serving cans so that anything not chosen wouldn’t go to waste.

Just pick up a nice assortment and guests can even make their own! If it’s informal, you can even place the little cans into a punch bowl filled with ice. No one minds because it’s just so much fun!

 

 

So I hope this gives you some new ideas on how to serve a hungry group for the upcoming Easter celebration! Or if you just would like to serve the ones you love something extra special! 😉 Have a beautiful day everybody! 😀  

 

 

EASTER BRUNCH QUICHE with PROSCIUTTO, SWEET BABY PEAS, PESTO & WHITE CHEDDAR

Serves 8-16 (*Regular or thin slices) and Makes 1 – 9″ pie

 

For the Pesto Cream Custard: 

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 up to 1 tsp. salt (*see note at bottom!)

1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

2 Tbl. prepared basil pesto

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, do not sub

 

Rest of Ingredients:

4 oz. white cheddar (half of an 8 oz. block), shredded 

6 paper-thin slices prosciutto, chopped into 1/2″ pieces

1/2 cup frozen sweet baby peas, unthawed

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust Sheet, thawed 

 

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl, whisk eggs well. Whisk in salt* (*see my guide at the bottom), pepper, and pesto. Whisk in heavy cream. Set aside.

Grate 4 oz. of white cheddar and chop prosciutto. 

Place pie sheet into pie plate and press top edge with a fork or flute. 

Fill bottom with cheddar, top with prosciutto and sprinkle with frozen peas. 

Pour custard mixture over filled pie and pop into preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 43-45 minutes until set but a little jiggly, and just starting to brown on top and edge. I like to bake mine on the rack just below the center so that the crust gets nicely brown and slightly crispy.

Cool a bit on rack before slicing for nice, sharp slices. (*Quiche will settle and firm up during cooling.) Serve warm, not hot. 

 

Salt Amount Guide: 

*For salt lovers and no leftovers expected, use up to 1 tsp. (1/2 – 3/4 tsp. if you’re worried.)

*If you like salt or there are definitely going to be leftovers, use 1/4 – 1/2 tsp.

*If you’re sensitive to salt, use only 1/4 tsp., especially if there’s to be leftovers. 

**Leftovers will be much saltier the next day due to the salt in the prosciutto seeping into the pie.