Shelly's Recipe

BAJA QUICHE

Category: Quiche and Savory Tarts / Tartlettes

Quiche Crust
4 cups frozen hash browns
1/2 cup butter

Pre-heat oven to 450. In a 9 inch pie pan with high sides, spread frozen hash browns over bottom and up sides. I use a glass pan. Melt the butter (takes less than 1 minute in the microwave, but do not burn). Brush melted butter over the hash browns. Bake 10 minutes. Check and if needed, push any slipped hash browns back up the sides of the pie pan. Continue baking for another 10 minutes, then put hash browns under the broiler until the top is golden brown with the edges crispy. Remove from oven. Cool for a few minutes.

Quiche Filling
1 1/2 cups Mexican queso fresco cheese, crumbled in chunks
1 cup green onions, sliced
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp paprika

Spread the queso fresco cheese over the bottom of the crust, then top with the green onions. Combine the eggs, half-and-half and white pepper in a bowl and whip until well combined. Pour the liquid into the pie crust over the cheese and green onions, filling just until the edge of the crust is still visible. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until filling is set. Remove from the oven and dust paprika over the top. While letting the pie set for a few minutes, make the shrimp topping.

Shrimp Topping
1 lb uncooked shrimp, cleaned and shelled
2 tbsp olive
1/2 cup white wine (with fruit overtones preferred)
1/4 cup white tequila
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
2 avocados, cubed
11/2 cups cubed tomatoes, seeded and without skin
1 lime, divided
2 tbsp butter
Sea salt and white pepper
Sprigs of cilantro (optional)

Squeeze juice of 1/2 lime over the cubed avocado in a bowl. Add the cubed tomato. Gently fold together.

Heat a 12 inch frying pan. Shrimp should be cooked in one layer; if using a smaller pan cook shrimp in batches. Add oil to pan; when heated, add the shrimp and white wine and cook for 2 minutes on high heat, turn shrimp over, add the tequila, and cook until liquid is mostly evaporated. Add the green onions, stir briefly and squeeze the juice of the other lime half over shrimp.

Shrimp should be pink. Remove from heat, and fold into diced tomato and avocado in a bowl. Add sea salt and white pepper to taste. Cut the quiche into 6 wedges, plate and top with shrimp-avocado-tomato mixture. Garnish with cilantro sprig.