Katherine’s Roasted Pepper Feta Company Quiche
Eat pie, be joyfully faithful!
One of my favorite women of all time was my cousin Katherine from West Virginia. I so admired her jubilant and faithful spirit; she simply spilled joy in all that she did, as she smiled her way through life. When she was excited about something, which she often was, she would say while grinning, “Well, butter my biscuit!” I loved that!
I loved her way of faith, as she never wore it on her sleeve, but would make subtle comments and clever quips about God, as if the two of them were best friends. When someone was sad or downtrodden about something, she would say to them, “Honey, all you need is faith as itty-bitty as a mustard seed, and nothing is impossible.”
Katherine was also an amazing cook, and I was crazy for everything she made in her tiny kitchen. When our family came down to visit, she would welcome us with a huge West Virginia–style breakfast: biscuits, apple butter and honey, sausage gravy, ham, fried apples and corn, sliced cantaloupe, and her big, fluffy company quiche pies. Everything about Katherine was lovable, and she knew how to live her life with a happy faith that I try to emulate every day.
Recommended: Sweetie-licious Cream Cheese Crust, frozen (page 2)
Filling
7 eggs
1¼ cups half-and-half
½ teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1½ cups canned roasted red peppers, well drained and set on paper towels
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
4 large basil leaves, chopped fine
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper until well mixed.
- On the bottom of the frozen piecrust, layer the roasted red peppers, feta, and basil leaves.
- Carefully pour the egg mixture over the peppers, feta, and basil.
- Bake for 45–60 minutes or until the middle is set. Best served warm.
This quiche is a favorite at the shop!
The Little Miracle Fresh Rhubarb Custard Pie
Eat pie, believe in little miracles.
A few years back I went into the shop one early-May morning to start my baking. One of the orders in the book was for a rhubarb custard pie. Sometimes the high school counter girls accidentally took orders for pies that were out of season, such as this one. As it was a little too early in the year to be getting deliveries of fresh rhubarb, I called up my husband to ask him if we had any ready in our own little patch at home. John said that there were a few stalks and brought them over.
As I was cutting up the rhubarb, I realized I’d have enough for two pies, instead of just one, and looked forward to taking the bonus one home, as it was our family’s favorite. While the pies were baking, two older women came into the shop looking quite distressed, as they were lost trying to find their way to Saginaw, an hour away. I gave them directions and invited them to stay and have some quiche and pleasant conversation. They agreed to stay and eat. They enjoyed delicious quiche and warm muffins while I continued to bake and wait on customers. Each time I checked on them they seemed calmer and happier. The elder of the two said that the shop made her feel so contented, she was happy she and her daughter had gotten lost and found our cute little pie shop!
She then introduced herself as Mary and went on to explain that she lived in Florida and hadn’t been back to Michigan in forty years. She had come to spend some last days with her dying brother. Mary told me, with a slight smile, that while sitting in the shop, she got lost in the old music and the wonderful aroma of pies, and suddenly was reminded of her dying brother’s favorite pie. She thought it would be a wonderful gift to give her brother in hospice care, if I happened to have it: a rhubarb custard pie.
I couldn’t believe my ears! I could not believe that she wanted the pie that I only had because of an ordering mistake, that there just happened to be enough rhubarb to make not just one accidental pie, but two, and that this all happened that day, that morning, at the exact time the pie was miraculously coming out of the oven.
Tears streamed down my face when I told her, yes, we did happen to have one. I explained the whole story. I hugged her with pot holders in my hands and held this elderly lady as we both cried tears of melancholy joy and understanding in the miracle of pie.
“In the faces of men and women, I see God.”
—Walt Whitman
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
—The Book of Hebrews
Recommended: Flaky Classic Piecrust, frozen (page 1), Sweetie-licious Crumb Topping (page 6)
Rhubarb Filling
5 cups sliced fresh rhubarb
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup tapioca (minute variety)
½ teaspoon orange zest
Custard Filling
1¼ cups half-and-half
2 eggs
¼ sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the rhubarb, sugar, tapioca, and zest. Stir until well mixed.
- Let stand for 20–25 minutes or until the tapioca is softened to the touch, occasionally stirring the fruit.
- Mix all of the ingredients for the custard filling with a whisk until well combined.
- Pour the rhubarb filling into a frozen piecrust. Pour the custard filling over the rhubarb. Cover all of pie filling with Crumb Topping, being especially generous around the edges.
- Bake for 45–60 minutes or until the filling bubbles over. Best eaten on first day.
This is a family favorite—we make this pie for all summer birthdays and holidays!
I have found that different thickeners work better in different pies. Flour works well with apples, cornstarch with frozen fruits, and tapioca with fresh fruits.