Corned Beef and Pepper Jack Quiche

Coconut Layer Cake Murder

## Ingredients

**The Quiche Shell**

* You can mix up your favorite piecrust recipe and line a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. Alternatively, you can buy premade, frozen piecrusts at the grocery store. ***(If you decide to buy the frozen pie shells, make sure to buy 9-inch or 10-inch deep-dish pie shells.)***

**Hannah's 1st Note: Pre-made frozen piecrusts are very good and they're a real timesaver. They generally come 2 pie shells to a package, and I always have a couple of packages in my freezer at the condo for emergencies. If you're embarrassed about using something "store-bought," just remove the shell while it's still frozen and place it in one of your pie pans of the same size before you make and bake your quiche.**

**The Quiche Filling**

* 5 eggs
* 1 and ½ cups whipping cream ***(also called heavy cream or manufacturing cream)***
* 5 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded ***(approximately 2 cups—measure AFTER grating)***
* 1 can ***(15 ounces by weight)*** corned beef hash ***(I used Mary Kitchen hash by Hormel)***
* ¼ cup finely chopped onion ***(measure AFTER chopping)***
* Hot sauce to taste ***(I used Slap Ya Mama hot sauce)***
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ***(freshly grated is best, of course)***

**Hannah's 2nd Note: If you don't like Pepper Jack cheese, you can use Monterey Jack, or pre-grated Italian or Mexican cheese. Cheddar will also do nicely. If you do this, you may want to add additional black pepper for flavor.**

**Hannah's 3rd Note: Nutmeg with corned beef may sound a little strange, but it adds a nice touch of sweetness to this quiche.**

## Directions

* Preheat the oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.

**The Quiche Shell**

* Prepare your piecrust by cracking one egg and separating the yolk from the white. You can save the white in a covered dish in the refrigerator to add to scrambled eggs in the morning.
* Whip up the yolk with a fork and brush the bottom and insides of your piecrust with the yolk. When you're finished, prick the piecrust all over with the tines of a fork from your silverware drawer to keep it from puffing up in the oven.
* Bake the empty piecrust in a 350°F oven for 5 minutes. It won't be nice and golden brown, but you'll bake it again after you put in your quiche filling.
* Take the piecrust out of the oven and set it on a wire rack or a cold stovetop burner. If "bubbles" have formed in the crust, immediately prick them with the fork to let out the steam. Let the piecrust cool while you mix up the quiche filling.

**The Quiche Filling**

* Combine the eggs with the whipping cream and whisk them ***(or beat them at MEDIUM speed)*** until they're a uniform color. When they're thoroughly mixed, pour them into a pitcher and set it in the refrigerator.
* Sprinkle the grated cheese in the bottom of your cooled pie shell.
* Open the can of corned beef hash and spread it over the top of the cheese.
* Sprinkle on the onion, and add as many drops of hot sauce as your family would like.
* Sprinkle the salt on top.
* Sprinkle the ground black pepper over the salt.
* Sprinkle the ground nutmeg over the pepper.
* Put a drip pan under your pie pan.

**Hannah's 4th Note: I line a jelly roll pan with foil and use that. You could also use parchment paper. If you line your drip pan, the liner will catch any spills and the drip pan will be easy to wash.**

* Take the egg and cream mixture out of the refrigerator and give it a good stir with a whisk or a mixing spoon.
* Pour the mixture over the top of your Corned Beef and Pepper Jack Quiche until about half of the filling is covered.
* Open your oven, pull out the rack, and set your pie tin and drip pan on it. Pour in more custard mixture, stopping a quarter-inch short of the rim. Carefully push it in the rack, and shut the oven door.
* Bake your Corned Beef and Pepper Jack Quiche at 350°F for 60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a table knife inserted one inch from the center comes out clean.
* When the quiche tests as done, remove it from the oven and set it, drip pan and all, on a cold stovetop burner or a wire rack. Let it cool for 15 to 30 minutes before you cut it into pie-shaped wedges and serve it.

***The quiche is good warm, but it's also good at room temperature. If your family is crazy about bacon, sprinkle bacon bits over the top of the quiche before you bake it to add even more flavor. If there's any quiche left, which there probably won't be, cover and refrigerate it.***