HAM, BROCCOLI & TILLAMOOK QUICHE

As the fork glides through silken custard to a shatteringly buttery crust, quiche has Sunday written all over it. Comfort food at it's finest, there's nothing better than sitting down to a cup of Stumptown French press coffee, a slice of homemade quiche, and watching the fog roll in on a rainy Portland morning.

Quiche can be as simple or as complicated as you want it - making it accessible to both the novice and experienced cook alike. If you're in a rush - natural food markets carry delicious preservative-free frozen pie shells that make building your perfect quiche a snap! Just pile in the ingredients you want (ham, shredded cheese, sauteed veggies) and top it off with a simple custard made from cream and eggs.

But if you have a little time, and want to invest in the unmatched perfection of a handmade pastry, then I recommend putting a little elbow grease into making your own. Nothing tastes like butter in a pie crust, and most commercial brands only use hydrogenated vegetable shortening. Not the same at all in my book - although my pie crust does use a little non-hydrogenated shortening for the flake-factor.

Here is a great quiche recipe that pays off in the effort. And remember - double the recipe and make two. Freeze the second one and pull it out on a lazy Sunday morning when you want something good but don't want to cook.

Ham, Broccoli & Tillamook Quiche

For filling:
1/2 lb nitrite-free ham, diced into cubes
1 cup frozen broccoli flowerettes, coarsely chopped
5 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup Tillamook sharp cheese , grated

For Crust:
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. Place in freezer while preparing filling.

Make filling:
Whisk together eggs, cream, herbs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth. Line the pie shell with half the cheese, then scatter ham, broccoli & chives and pour the egg custard over the top. Top with more cheese.

Bake until filling puffs and is no longer wobbly in center when quiche is gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in pie plate on rack 15 minutes.