Tomato Basil and Goat Cheese Quiche

I was asked by Joy of Kosher (Jamie Geller a.k.a "The bride who knew nothing") if I would want to develop some recipes for their website/magazine. Of course I was super excited and started thinking about all the delicious meats I would roast with wine sauces and intricate little appetizers I would make. Well, the next phone call just dashed all those dreams because they needed recipes for quiche. Now, I love quiche as much as the next person but it certainly is hard to stretch your creative culinary muscles with quiche and most people would never call it gourmet. In the end, I came up with some quiches that were take-offs on three of my favorite soups. I love soup, but I hate to eat it in the summer- why sweat more than you have to?- so I developed three quiches that delivered the flavors of the soups without the need for a cold shower. This first one is based on a tomato basil soup that I make that I garnish with a Goat cheese "crouton"- it is delicious and screams of summer and I love it. I used Heirloom tomatoes here, red and yellow, and the flavor was divine but feel free to use whatever tomatoes you have as long as they are delicious and ripe. Check out the final feature article at http://www.joyofkosher.com/2011/08/3-quiche-recipes-inspired-by-favorite-soups/.

Tomato-Basil and Goat Cheese Quiche

 1 9 inch pie crust

1 Tbl butter

3 Tbl seasoned bread crumbs

2 ripe red tomatoes

2 ripe yellow tomatoes

1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

3 eggs

1/3 cup sour cream

1 cup whole milk

3 Tbl fresh basil, chopped ( save some leaves for garnish)

½ Tbl granulated garlic

1 cup shredded Parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350. Rub the butter over the crust and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. This will help prevent the crust from getting soggy from the tomatoes. Layer the red tomatoes over the crumbs and sprinkle the goat cheese on top. In a bowl mix together the eggs, sour cream, milk, basil and garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and goat cheese. Lay the yellow tomatoes gently on top so that they sink in but you can still see them. Scatter some fresh basil leaves on top and top with the Parmesan. Bake for about 45 minutes until the center is set and the quiche is golden brown.

(picture taken during a thunderstorm, hence the awful lighting)

http://www.joyofkosher.com/2011/08/3-quiche-recipes-inspired-by-favorite-soups/