broccoli, sausage and bacon quiche

I ate my first quiche in a Delifrance cafe years ago and I have been hooked since.  I find that quiche is simply yummy.

It was only years later that I started baking my own quiche. When I did so, I realised that it was not all that difficult to make and you have a lot of freedom in terms of the filling that you want to use.

I baked this quiche for a small gathering at a friend's place today. What was the occasion? Well, I guess it was a belated Christmas gift exchange (for the kids) and an opportunity for the adults to catch up over the New Year.

With Baby Chickadee having just started childcare on 2 January 2014, I have not had the time to do grocery shopping lately. Fortunately, one of my colleagues frequently passes around an order list for those of us who wish to order sausages, bacon, ham, etc. The supplier will deliver the items to our office. I always place an order whenever the order list is passed around. I understand that the price is cheaper than if you were to buy the item from the supermarket. More importantly, I appreciate the convenience of having my order delivered "right to my doorstep".

As such, for today's quiche, I made use of whatever I could find in my refrigerator and freezer. I happened to have the broccoli florets because I just used the stem to cook stock for the girls a week ago.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups low fat milk

3 tbsp butter (softened)

1/2 cup self raising flour

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

2 cups ingredients - I used broccoli florets, pork cocktail sausages, crab stick and back bacon (all cut into small pieces)

freshly grated mixed peppercorn (to taste)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2. Line an 8" round baking pan with baking paper.  Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, butter and flour using a hand whisk.

4. Add the cheese, filling and freshly grated mixed peppercorn and mix well.

5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes.

TIPS

1. I used to grease the baking pan before I lined it with baking paper. I no longer do that to cut down on the oil.

2. If you do not have mixed peppercorn, you can use black peppercorn too. I personally prefer to buy the whole peppercorn and grate it when I need to use it, instead of those pre-ground ones.  Fresh is best!

3. If you like, you can sprinkle additional grated mozzarella cheese on top of the mixture before you bake it. I did not do that today because I used up all my cheese in the mixture. It is time to do grocery shopping again!