Wild Mushroom & Leek Biscuit Crust Quiche
A desire to not waste that last biscuit turned into the star of brunch.
Every Sunday I make biscuits. Warm and buttery, flaky and crumbly, a perfect vehicle for jam and butter. The one conundrum with biscuits is there is always one left. Always. We can never seem to finish that single golden square. So I stash it in the freezer, and as Sundays pass, my collection of solo ‘scuits turns into a bulging gallon bag, taking over valuable freezer space. I attempt to reheat them, and they just fall flat–you can’t preserve and revive the crisp, tender nature of a fresh baked biscuit.
So, I got to thinking–what on earth could I make with all these biscuits? I some how ended up down the path of realizing how genius a graham cracker crust is. A bit of butter and a blender and you have yourself a pie crust. What if biscuits could be the savory version of a graham cracker crust? I know, I know, bare with me–it is starting to sound like I might be headed down a tik tok shortcut path–Rachel, don’t ruin a good thing, quiche is made with pastry crust for a reason. Yes, and by all means if you have the time, make the pie crust. This is the perfect alternative to use up those remaining biscuits and it makes something all its own and truly delicious.
The biscuits once blended with butter and pressed into the bottom of the pie dish get baked a bit, then topped with cheese, filling and eggs. The crust takes on this crispy-gone-soggy nature in the very best way. The crumbly nature of the crust makes it like having the most delicious bread crumbs with a cheesy, umami packed frittata.
This recipe is using up biscuits, but why stop there? What else in the depths of the fridge needed a home in this lovely quiche/frittata baby? After serving a charcuterie board, I always have odd ends of cheese, and this felt like the moment to let it all marry in one beautiful bake. The mix of cheeses you see here were what happened to be on my charcuterie board–I think a gouda, gruyere, parmesan or manchego would all be welcome additions as well.
Lastly, eggs are expensive. I decided to dye my avocado dyed eggs with raw eggs to get the most out of them (I can only eat so many hard boiled eggs). A quiche is now a luxury, so I wanted to keep the egg count down so we are not plowing through a dozen precious eggs. I went heavier on the wild mushroom and leek filling and used just enough eggs to bind it all together. The texture and flavor is richly mushroom in the best way, with a delicate balance of egg. Less eggs also means less baking - this beauty will bake up in about 30 minutes.
Ok, without further ramblings and justifications for my concoction, I give you my brainchild–the biscuit crust quiche.
Wild Mushroom & Leek Biscuit Crust Quiche
2 to 3 biscuits, once blended equal 2 cups of breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons melted butter
16 oz. Wild Mushrooms, white and brown clamshell, king trumpet mushrooms, and maitakes torn or cut into bite sized pieces
1 Large Leek, diced
2 Tbs. of Butter
3 c. of Freshly Shredded Cheese - I included a mix of Swiss, White Cheddar, and Havarti
Six Eggs
1/4c. of Milk
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, divided
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Blend biscuits until they are a fine bread crumb.
Blend butter and biscuit crumbs together until the crumbs start to cling to each other, showing that all the crumbs are well coated in butter. Press the biscuit crust dough into the bottom of a pie dish (not up the sides, just the bottom) using a flat, wide spoon or spatula.
Bake your biscuit crust on the center rack for 10 minutes.
While the crust bakes, sauté the leeks over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper to taste and keep cooking until leeks are soft and mushrooms are just a touch golden in parts, 6-7 minutes.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/4 tsp. of thyme and a pinch of salt.
Layer on 1/2 of the cheese on top of the biscuit crust, then add the mushroom mixture, then pour in the eggs, milk and thyme mixture. Add the other half of the cheese, the other 1/4 tsp. of thyme and freshly ground pepper.
Bake on the bottom rack of your oven at 400 for 30 minutes, until eggs are set and the top is golden brown. If eggs are not set, bake in additional 5 minute increments until set.
Let cool slightly–10 minutes or so–and enjoy with a pile of fresh arugula.
This sounds DELICIOUS. My only complaint is that I never have leftover biscuits so I might never be able to make this crust unless I show some restraint