For years I made a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning. You know the ones. You layer white bread slices in a baking dish, add cooked sausage or ham, pour in milk/eggs, and then top with cheese and bake. We all know how delicious a beautiful pie plate full of quiche can be. We also know that the carbs in the pie crust can be not so good for those of us who try to be mindful of our carbohydrate intake. So I present the best of both of those dishes! A crustless quiche. Yes, this recipe combines a rich custardy filling thanks to heavy cream with ham, Gruyere, and cheddar cheese. This is a perfect breakfast or brunch dish.
If you prefer, you can use milk instead of half and half or heavy cream. You can use shredded Swiss instead of Gruyere. If you want to add a few sprigs of fresh thyme, that would be delightful.
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup diced white or yellow onion
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1 t. minced garlic
8 large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk, half and half, or heavy cream
1 T. all-purpose flour (or 2 T. cornstarch)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. chopped fresh chives
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
Add olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and place over medium heat. Add diced onion and saute' stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add ham and garlic to the skillet with the onions and cook, stirring, for just another minute or two or until ham is warmed through and garlic is fragrant. Spoon mixture into the prepared pie dish and spread out evenly.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk (or cream), salt, pepper, and flour. Pour egg mixture over the ham and onions in the pie plate. Sprinkle with the cheeses, and chives.
Bake 30 - 40 minutes, until golden brown and completely set in the enter. Cool slightly before cutting into wedges.