*yawn*

Mrmphh. It's early. Up at 6 and it's tough to tell what kind of day it will be today. At this point it is nothing outside. Really, that's the only way I can describe it. The sky has no visible outline of clouds, it's just a flat sheet of almost white. No wind, no birds chirping, it's not even cold. It's like a void out there. A good day to leave the blinds closed and make some breakfast.

I don't usually get up this early by choice, but our friend Amy is bringing by little 5 month old Aiden for me to watch for a few hours and I wanted to make sure they didn't catch me still snoozing.

Anyway, breakfast. It's the only thing that will keep me awake right now. My one person menu this morning includes mini quiches, a single serving of herbed potatoes and plenty of caffeine in the form of my current favorite tea. The only thing that could complete this moment is lounging on the couch and watching last night's Top Chef Masters on my DVR.



These mini quiches are adapted from an old Orangette post and the tart shell is from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. They are perfectly eggy and fluffy with a flaky, salty crust. This was a bit of a clean-out-the-fridge recipe, but you can throw pretty much anything into a quiche.

Mini Breakfast Quiches

Crust:

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 (1/4 lb) stick salted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp ice water

Filling:

1 1/4 cup whole milk
4 eggs
1 tbsp flour
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne
pinch of nutmeg

Broccoli florets, cut small and steamed
1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella, just use whatever you have)
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
black pepper

Make the tart dough first, press into tins and refrigerate while making the filling. Dough should be kept as cold as possible - if the butter in it melts it won't be flaky.

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter in with your fingers, mixing and squishing until the mixture resembles tiny peas. Whisk the egg yolk and water together in another bowl and add to first mixture, blending (or finger squishing) until mixture is smooth and holds together in a ball. Press into tins or 1 big quiche dish and trim off the edges. Set aside in the fridge.

For the filling blend the milk, eggs, flour, salt, cayenne and nutmeg on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

Add the toppings to the tart shells - 1 layer of broccoli, 1 layer of cheese, alternating until you reach the top. Or just throw it all in there and cover it with cheese like I did. Pour the egg filling into the tins leaving 1/8th of an inch before the top. sprinkle chives and ground black pepper over the top and make 'em look pretty.

Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes until puffed up with nice toasty brown spots. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.

xoxo

me