Cookin' & Cussin'

Christmas Crab Quiche

Merry Christmas Eve, y’all!

I hope everyone is off work, not stressed, kids / husbands / wives / animals are behaving & all your presents are wrapped and all the crazy holiday shopping is done!

Well….shit, after I introduce you to this banger Christmas tradition I grew up with, you might feel the need to run out & get these ingredients….but that’s fine. & that sounds like a decision you may want to make quick-quick!

traditions

Every year growing up, Christmas Eve was more of the “big deal” – we did a big family dinner in the early afternoon with friends, neighbors & church friends, then took a nap in front of the twinkling Christmas tree, opened up a present, (usually fucking socks or a book, but I’d be real excited to open a book nowadays!) when it became dusk, we lit luminaries all up & down the streets of our neighborhood, and then finally made it to our church for midnight mass. It was perfect, every year.

Christmas Day was great too – just very quiet & very low-key. I wholeheartedly believe that’s why now as an adult, I get severely overwhelmed & over-stimulated by big Christmases.

Chris’ family usually goes up to his Aunt’s house since her husband is home-bound, and we gather with everyone else in his family for a day full of….everything. Lots of presents, lots of booze (needed) lots of laughs, and endless amounts of rotating appetizers, sweets & usually a huge-ass dinner to follow all those other festivities. (are you overwhelmed yet?) Usually, this affair takes anywhere takes anywhere from 4-6 hours. Very fun, very overwhelming, very exhausting….still not used to it, even after all these years!

there IS such thing as a relaxing Christmas!

So back to my family’s very relaxed, tradition – since my mom always made Christmas Eve such a big deal, we were usually quietly & lazily lounging about in PJ’s all day on Christmas Day. My family was military & both sets of my grandparents are in Kentucky, and usually with snow on the ground, so we could never truly make the trip feasible for fear of getting stuck in the snow or driving such a long distance.

Christmas Crab Quiche is a Christmas dish that is completely near & dear to my heart. My mom would only make it on Christmas & I loved that our core family of 4 were the only ones who ate it & enjoyed it together on Christmas.

This amazing quiche was usually served this with biscuits & gravy, fruit, and hot Harlem Potatoes. ((& champagne, but we were never old enough to have it, but damn do I appreciate it now)) My mom would always say “Eat up, cause I ain’t making dinner too!”

Ingredients

· 1 deep dish pie crust, 9” frozen (or make your own, shit)

· 2 oz fresh lump or claw crab meat

· 2 oz Smithfield cubed ham

· ¼ cup diced yellow bell pepper

· 2 green onions, chopped

· ½ cup shredded Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese

· 4 eggs

· ¾ cup half & half

· ½ TSP grated lemon rind

· ¼ cup sliced almonds

· ¼ TSP each, S+P & garlic powder

· 1/8th TSP Ground nutmeg

JUST A FEW NOTES :)

Canned crab is a HELL no-no. ugh, please don’t even go there with that shit. Its usually, always, mostly fishy smelling and its in shreds so you can’t even hardly tell that its crab meat. SO JUST NO.

I will also go ahead & give y’all a fair warning…..I have changed this recipe from my mother’s OG recipe that I know & love from childhood *gasp!* I know, because Chris isn’t a huge fan of seafood so I’ve made a few additions so he can enjoy as well *clutch my pearls!* ok, enough of that.

((the additions are the yellow bell pepper & the smithfield ham – if you feel so inclined, you may omit these ingredients so it will be a true Crab Quiche))

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prick the bottom of your frozen pie crust & bake for 5 minutes – allow to cool for an additional 5 minutes.

Before assembly, place the pie crust on a cookie sheet / oven tray – this helps in case anything spills over so there won’t be a mess in your oven AND its so much easier to transport the raw quiche to the oven!

Cube the ham, dice the yellow bell pepper & chop the green onions.

Once the pie crust has cooled, sprinkle in ¼ cup of whichever cheese you have decided on – place the crab meat overtop.

Place the ham & veggies in the next layer overtop the crabmeat & cheese.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the half & half along with the spices.

Then, pour the egg mixture carefully over everything in the pie crust.

Drop in the almond slivers.

Lastly, sprinkle the remaining cheese overtop the entire mixture – use the back of a spoon to smooth out the top and be sure to try and submerge as much of the cheese & almonds as possible – you don’t want them to burn the hell up!

Bake the quiche for 40-50 minutes.

The top should be slightly toasty and brown and the crust should be slightly brown as well, but not dark.

The eggs shouldn’t jiggle when you move the pan, but should be firm & look fluffy.

Allow the quiche to cool for 10 minutes before cutting & serving.

ENJOY -- CHRISTMAS CRAB QUICHE!

May your heart grow 3 sizes

If you are looking for a family-friendly brunch that’s easy & elevated, look no further. Christmas Crab Quiche is light, delicious & impressive! Serve this alongside your favorite breakfast casseroles, hashbrowns, bacon or sausages for a deliciously full effect.

With sincerity, this Christmas Crab Quiche has always brought a quiet comfort to my heart. I realize the Christmas Season is not easy for everyone – it can be lonely, it can be stressful, it can be mentally & emotionally draining – I see you & I feel that. I hope this dish can bring you a moment of serenity & calm because that’s what I remember most whenever I eat this dish – the quiet, calm Christmas mornings of my childhood.

After all the presents were opened, all the happiness & thank you’s to Santa (mom & dad) were over, it was a delicious dish that we looked forward to in our home without any other company, just us 4. I relish those memories & try to recreate them as an adult. I hope to pass on these feelings of peaceful warmth to you.

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!