Quiche With Ham And Fresh Herbs

I made this delicious quiche for my sister-in-law's birthday brunch.  Everyone at the brunch seemed to enjoy the quiche even the kids.  The trick with quiche is to cook the pie crust first before you add the filling.  This simple trick gives your quiche a flaky crust and insures a rich fluffy filling.

Pre-heat Oven:  400 degrees
Serves:  Six

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ham diced
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
2 teaspoons chopped chives
1 9 inch deep dish pie shell (like Marie Callender's)
1 cup dry beans (to hold the pie crust down)
parchment paper

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt, thyme and chives together and set aside.  Remove the packaging from the pie crust and place one cup of dry beans on the parchment paper at the bottom of the crust.  Bake the pie crust at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Remove the beans or weights and then return crust to the oven to finish browning about 6 more minutes.  Cool the crust on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Place the diced ham and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust.  Pour the egg mixture over the ham and cheese mixture filling the pie crust up to the top but not over.  You might have extra egg mixture but don't over pour the quiche. Bake the quiche at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  Allow quiche to cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.