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Pleine de Surprise Quiche - if you speak French you might be thinking "Full of Surprise Quiche?.............. really?" Really! This delicious cheese and egg tart has an interesting surprise ingredient that you very well probably have never experienced in quiche - but first a little story...
Being a very curious and adventuresome cook can cause problems at times; when my children were young and would ask "What's for dinner?" I learned very quickly that it wasn't always wise to tell them exactly what I was cooking because this would often elicit miserable sounding moans, groans and a great deal of complaining. So I coined a phrase that eliminated this problem; I would simply say "surprise casserole!" This way they would have no chance to don the long face, to commiserate with each other and they'd usually come to the table with a fairly unbiased attitude.
So back to the quiche - when I was deciding on a name for this fabulous, versatile recipe I thought that I best not tell you right away one of the main ingredients, since I didn't want to turn you away but I guess I can't lead you on anymore there's a whole cup of tiny green peas along with lots of spinach, Italian chicken sausage, eggs, cheddar and Feta cheeses, half & half and fresh basil. Yes, I said PEAS! You probably wouldn't know it though if you had a taste with your eyes closed. The peas add just a bit of sweetness, lots of great nutrition and a really fun visual effect. My husband, who's not a pea-crazy kind of guy gave this quiche rave reviews and went back for seconds. Give this fun unique quiche a try and if your (non pea-loving) children ask, "what's for dinner?", you can simply reply, with great sophistication,Pleine de Surprise Quiche!
This quiche is wonderful for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even a casual dinner. It can be baked in charming individual tart pans or served by the slice from a larger pan. You can swap out bacon for the chicken sausage or asparagus for the peas - it's another Little Black Dress Recipe!
P.S.Oh and by the way, it's true what they say about "What goes around comes around." - now that my children are grown, whenever we're invited to their homes, if I inquire, "What's for dinner?" the answer is always the same yes, you guessed it - "SURPRISE CASSEROLE"! And for some reason, they say this with great pleasure. 🙂
Pleine de Surprise Quiche
Ingredients:
6 ounces fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 links chicken sausage (cooked), sliced and halved
1 ¼ cups half and half
2 lg eggs
2 lg egg yolks
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup Feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup tiny frozen peas
cooking spray
1 17 ounce package puff pastry, unthawed in refrigerator
Equipment needed
eight 4 inch tart pans with removable bottoms or one 11 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Could also be made in a regular quiche pan.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place a sheet pan on the lowest rack of the oven.
2. Place spinach in a microwave safe bowl. Sprinkle very lightly with water and cover bowl with saran wrap. Cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and set aside to cool. When cool drain well, then squeeze out excess moisture with your hands. Place in between several thicknesses of paper towel and squeeze out any extra moisture.
3. Combine eggs, egg yolks and half and half and whisk until well blended. Add cheddar and Feta cheeses, sea salt, pepper, fresh basil, spinach, chicken sausage and peas; stir to combine.
4. Place one sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface - keep the other wrapped in plastic and refrigerated unit ready to use. Sprinkle the top with flour and roll out pastry to form a 12 x 12 inch square. Cut out four 6 inch circles. (I used a 6 inch plate and trimmed around the edges.) Fit circles of dough into 4 four inch tart pans with removable bottoms and press into pans to fit flush with the top rims. Place tart pans in freezer while repeating process with other sheet of puff pastry (the only secret to working with puff pastry is to keep it cold up until baking time - this helps it to "puff" nicely when it hits the hot oven air).
5. Divide egg mixture among the 8 tart pans. Place in oven on heated sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, covering with foil last 20 minutes if getting too brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with a bit more Feta, if desired.
Serves 8
Notes:
~ This recipe can also be made in an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. For one large tart, roll puff pastry out to a 13 inch square and fit into pan, letting excess hang over the edges of the pan. Roll a rolling pin over the top to trim excess pastry flush with top of rim. If using a regular quiche pan, roll pastry out to fit pan and trim edges as needed. Fill with egg mixture as directed and bake for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and golden.
~ Quiches can be frozen after filling with egg mixture. To bake, place in oven frozen and bake about 10 minutes longer or until puffed and golden.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Thomas says
Awesome, read the tip to cook longer with the flour and made it with maple sausage. Easiest I have ever made and came out perfect. Will never make it any other way.
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Chris Scheuer says
So glad you found this one buried deep in our archives Thomas! That's the fun part about recipes - if they're really good, it doesn't matter how long they've been around! Enjoy!
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Camille says
I am in the process of making this and have a few questions. I will just guess this time, but I'm asking to make sure this is correct. First of all, how much feta do I use? Secondly, when do we add the sausage? I just added it along with the spinach and other stuff into the egg mixture, just want to make sure this is correct.
Thanks!Reply
Chris Scheuer says
The Feta is 1/2 cup and you did the sausage correctly. I will add these instructions to the recipe. Sorry, this recipe is from my early blogging days, I'm so happy you noticed these omissions.
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Veronica says
Suprise casserole-hahaha! love it. Well, you needn't have tried to hide the peas from me-they are one of my favorite veggies. I don't understand ppl that don't like them, but I guess we'll just have to cook them in things like this quiche to convince them they're good. 🙂
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Anh says
Pleine de Surprise Quiche... The name only wants to make me crave for this! Awesome recipe 🙂
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Eliotseats says
See AlsoOvernight Sourdough Bread recipeI love quiche. It is soooo versatile. You can almost throw anything in one and it will be delicious. Yours looks wonderful.
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Happier Than a Pig in Mud says
Love your trick with the kids, the quiche sounds great and I love peas! All of your pics are just beautiful:@)
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Kim says
J'adore cette quiche pleine de surprises. It looks really delicious!
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kristinwithani says
yum, yum, yum!
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Susan says
This looks absolutely delicious! By the way, the photo of you on your blog page reminds me of Patricia Wells. You two could easily be related...look-wise and chef-wise!!!
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Eri says
Lovely photos once again! I love this quiche, with all this goodness inside! Kisses!
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Pam says
I love quiche and this looks fabulous... so does the salad!
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Food, Fun and Life in the Charente says
I seem to have missed the last few posts and they look so delicious. I made a very similar quiche last night, but it did not have the peas. I must remember that for the next one what a great idea. Your photos are excellent. Take care Diane
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Mary says
This is a treasure of a recipe and your photos are terrific. I love the festive colors on your plate and I know I'd love this. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
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Kavi says
so much of color! perfect for the season! 🙂 That quiche looks more than perfect!
If possible, please go through the rules of my event > Jingle All The Way and link your post there.
Thanks!
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Kavi (Edible Entertainment)Reply
Sue/the view from great island says
These are adorable, I have to go out and get those pans. The salad looks so summery, I wish I had pansies growing on my back deck!
I laughed about your 'surprise casserole', my family does that to me while I'm cooking too, I'll have to use that!Reply
Sandra says
Surprise, surprise, ssid in my best Gomer Pyle voice. And a nice surprise at that.
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Hovkonditorn says
I'm reading this with a smile on my face! The quiche looks delicious and the whole plate is so colorful!
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