Ham 'N' Cheese Quiche with a Buttermilk Pastry Crust and Fruit Salad

Recipe From:  allrecipes.com, Betty Crocker and Caitie Bump

Quiche- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ham-N-Cheese-Quiche/Detail.aspx 

Pastry-  http://www.dvo.com/recipe_pages/betty/Buttermilk_Pastry.html

Fruit salad- It's easy...just cut up several different types of your favorite fruit (I used the extra strawberries from last night, fresh pineapple, apples and grapes), add sweetener (I used Equal...about 1/3 cup), 2tbs lemon juice, and put in fridge while Quiche cooks so a "sauce" will form.

Total Time: 1 hour and 15 min (it took me 15 min to make the buttermilk pastry crust.  You can save time by buying a pre-made pastry crust.  The majority of the time was the quiche baking...not cooking!).

Rating:

The Pink Chef- 6 (the pastry crust just wasn't right for this dish)

Hubby Rating- 9 (He thought it was haha)

Presentation- 8

Dishes- 7

Leftovers- 3-4

Changes I made while cooking:  I used heavy whipping cream instead of half and half in quiche....not a good idea!  It gave the eggs a weird texture.  I made my own pastry shell instead of using a pre-made one.  I cooked the quiche for 35 minutes (perfect!) and did not pre-bake the pastry shell.  This recipe makes 2 quiches...I cut it in half b/c honestly...what will I do with 2 quiches???  However, the pastry crust recipe makes 2 crusts and I combined them to make one thick one...the thicker the crust the better!

Thoughts while cooking: "Ummm I know this crust is supposed to be flaky, but this is falling apart!"  "I think I need more eggs to fill this pie shell."  "Wow, butter and shortening in the pastry...I need to go workout after this." haha "I hope these eggs rise."  "I hate soggy eggs."

Impressions while eating:  "This pastry shell is a no go! It's way too salty and too flaky!"  "I have never had eggs in this texture...."  "Wow, the hubby is getting seconds....maybe I'm too hard on myself."

Changes I would make: I would use a pre-made pastry shell or stick to the standard Betty Crocker pastry shell that I usually use (Sorry buttermilk...you suck!  No offense...):

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/flaky-pastry-shell/f4e79a26-4846-4298-9b26-35e69fc5d709

I would add at least 2 more eggs to fill the pastry shell (but then again I used a large pie pan, not a quiche pan...is there such thing?).  I would use half and half like the recipe calls for and not heavy cream (plus I probably added about 100 cal's to the recipe)...regular milk would probably work too.  I've learned these past few days to stop experimenting and stick to the recipe (for the most part anyway).  

Extra ingredients to use later in the week: eggs, ham, cheese, onion, and creamer

"Buttermilk....you suck!"

Mom's baking tip:
this is what the dry ingredients plus the
shortening/butter should look like once
"cut" in (pea size).  A pastry blender (see
top right) is a must for any baker!  You
can also use two knives and criss-cross
them to cut the shortening/butter in.
Also, when baking a crust you should
cover the outside edges with aluminum
foil so it does not burn.  Lastly, do not
trust the baking time when it comes to
dough.  I always cook mine 5-10 min less!