Smoked Sausage and Rum Quiche with Cane Vinegar Onions

The quiche has it all. It’s creamy, smoky, a bit of sweet, and a bit of crunch. Julia Child, the mothership of Americans cooking French, taught me two key things when it comes to quiche. One is the ratio of eggs to dairy liquid (you want a ½ c of liquid that consists of 1 large egg and the remainder being milk, half and half, or cream) and any quiche can be crustless.

I am not a fan of quiche crusts. It is something I merely tolerated so I could enjoy the glorious fillings. I had some crustless quiche recipes and for years I thought I had to have a crustless recipe or it would glue itself to the baking dish. Lo and behold, any quiche can be crustless. All you have to do is butter the dish and put in the custard. It’s quicker, easier, and tastes better.

I know some of you are pro-crusts so I recommend you use two pie plates for this recipe or use half the filling if you’re making only one.

Cane Vinegar Onions Ingredients:
½ large onion (about 2) cups
¼ c cane vinegar
1 c water

Cane Vinegar Onions Directions:
Thinly slice the onion pole to pole. Add 2 c of onion to a 16 ounce jar. Add ¼ c cane vinegar and 1 c water to the jar. Close the lid tightly, and give it a couple of good shakes. Let it sit on the counter until you finish making the quiche. Refrigerate the leftovers.

Note: These are NOT pickled onions. They do not have enough vinegar in the liquid to preserve the onions so consume them within a few days.

No cane vinegar, no problem. Use whatever you have. Buuuut if you want to try the deliciousness, you can buy it directly from Steen’s.

Smoked Sausage and Rum Quiche Ingredients:
½ Tbl avocado oil
1 lb smoked sausage
2 c chopped onions (about ½ large onion)
1 c chopped bell pepper
1 c chopped celery
¼ c white rum
1 Tbl minced garlic
6 eggs
Roughly 1 ½ c of half and half
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp red pepper (cayenne)
1 tsp  black pepper
5 ounces parmesan
butter
Cane Vinegar Onions
Minced celery leaves (for garnish)

Smoked Sausage and Rum Quiche Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.

Put ½ Tbl of oil in a 9.5” frying pan. Heat until shimmers.

Cut 1 lb smoked sausage in half lengthwise. Slice across the diamerter into 1/2 “ thick semi-circles. Put half of the meat into the pan. You should hear a good sizzle and it should keep sizzling. If it stops sizzling, increase the heat. When the underside is dark brown, flip it. When both sides are done, put them on a plate and repeat with the remaining meat.

Dispose the grease. Add the trinity (2 c chopped onion, 1 c chopped bell pepper, and 1 c chopped celery) to the pan. You should hear a sizzle when it hits the pan. Lower the heat to sweat the vegetables. When they are finished releasing liquid, add ¼ c of white rum and 1 Tbl garlic to the pan, cook until the rum evaporates. Remove it from heat.

Put 6 large eggs into a measuring cup, add enough half and half to bring the liquid to 3 cups. It will be about 1 ½ c of half and half, depending upon the size of your eggs.

Pour the egg mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp  salt, ¼ tsp red pepper, and 1 tsp black pepper. Whisk until homogeneous and a tad frothy.

On the small holes of a box grater, grate 5 ounces of parmesan. Add it to the vegetables along with the meat. Mix until it’s well incorporated. Add it to the egg mixture and stir.

Butter a 7 1/2 “ pie plate. Pour the mixture into the plate and put it in the oven. Y’all will hate me but I keep forgetting to time the cooking. I’ve been wanting to post this recipe for a couple of years now except … I forget to time it. Every. Single. Time. Someone help your girl out and time it! Edit: One of my readers helped your girl out! It cooks for about 45-50 minutes. Thanks, Matt!

It’s done cooking when the quiche poofs up, the edges begin to brown, and the center is set. Do not overcook.

Allow it to cool to nearly room temperature. Sprinkle it with chopped celery leaves. Serve it with cane vinegar onions. You want a bit of the sweet crunch with almost every bite.

Notes:
If you’re in a rush, cook the vegetables in a separate pan. After the meat is finished cooking, drain the grease out. Add the rum to the hot pan to deglaze the pan. Pour the rum into the vegetables and proceed to the next step.

My favorite smoked sausage is Wayne Jacob’s in Laplace. Yep, they do ship.