HAM, CHEESE, BASIL QUICHE (Soft Food for Sensitive Gums)

If you are having trouble finding something "soft" to eat due to sore gums, loose teeth (no teeth), or recent dental surgery, this nourishing dish should fill the bill (and your belly). WHY? Because instead of dicing the ham in the usual fashion, I have ground it in a food processor and all of the other ingredients are soft (excluding the graham cracker pie crust, and that easily crumbles after being baked).

1. 1 Prebaked 9" Graham Cracker pie crust.
2. 1 cup diced cooked ham (about a 6 oz piece) (to be ground in food processor)
3. 3 large eggs
4. 1 cup Swiss Cheese (about a 2 oz block) (Imported Swiss, Gruyere, or other cheese of your choice), grated
5. 6 oz (3/4 cup) heavy whipping cream
6. 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
7. 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
8. 1/4 cup fresh Basil leaves, finely chopped
9. 1 TBS Parmesan cheese, grated (for topping)
10. 1 TBS Dijon grainy mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

• Although the store-bought pie shell has already been prebaked, you need to bake it at 400 F for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove it from the oven, and let it rest while you prepare the following ingredients (you can leave the oven on if you are going to make the quiche now, but be sure to reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F)!

1. Grind 1 cup of cooked ham (Dice about 6 ounces of cooked ham, then grind it in a food processor.
2. Grate 1 cup of Swiss Cheese (a 2 ounce block or cut of cheese should produce about 1 cup grated.
3. Grate 1 TBS of Parmesan cheese (will be used as a topping).
4. Grind 1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper and nutmeg.
5. Shred 1/4 cup fresh Basil leaves.

• While it might appear that it takes a lot of steps to complete this recipe, the above 5 ingredients can be prepared leisurely; you can even prepare them the day before and refrigerate them until you are ready to make the quiche.

1. Break the eggs into a small bowl.
2. Add the whipping cream, black pepper & grated nutmeg and whisk intensely until well blended.
3. In a large bowl, add the ground ham, grated Swiss cheese and chopped basil and mix with a fork or wooden spoon until well blended.
4. Spread the 1 TBS of Dijon grainy mustard over the surface of the graham cracker pie crust.
5. Add the ham, cheese, basil mixture to the "pie" and spread it around until it is level and even.
6. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake on the center oven rack at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is set and lightly browned. (I usually place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below the Quiche in case it overflows, however it looks like that will not happen here).
8. Remove from oven, garnish with Basil leaves and serve it hot!

FINALLY, a nourishing meal that I can enjoy after having had dental surgery (and it can be enjoyed at breakfast time, lunchtime, or dinnertime, or any time in between)! I am having a piece of the pie for dinner right now, along with a much deserved glass of chilled white wine (I must apologize for having taken a small bite out of the pie before taking this photo . . .but I was hungry)!

Bon appétit

(I have estimated the nutritional value of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer. Just click on the image to enlarge it)