Mini Quiche — Sunday Porch Bites After Mt. Zion

June 2026. I am 67, retired, and the Memphis summer wraps around Orange Mound with its annual ferocity. The smoker calls louder in summer, and I answer, because answering the smoker is answering the part of myself that is most alive.

Charlie and David in Nashville, their family a bridge between two cultures that share one language: love expressed through food and patience.

Smoked sausage links — Uncle Clyde's recipe, the full production: grind, mix, stuff, smoke. Each batch connects me to the stand on Lamar Avenue, to the man who taught me everything, to the tradition that doesn't end because I don't let it end.

Sunday at Mt. Zion, the music held me the way music holds everyone: completely, without asking permission. After church, the porch, the quiet, the knowledge that the week was good enough. Good enough is everything.

After the music at Mt. Zion settled into my chest and the smoker had done its work for the week, I wanted something I could set on the porch rail without ceremony — something that said “good enough” the same way the whole week had. These Mini Quiches are exactly that: small, warm, honest little things you can pass around without a plate or a fuss, the kind of food that lets the Sunday quiet stay quiet. Uncle Clyde always said the meal after the main meal is where a cook gets to breathe, and that’s what these are for me.

Mini Quiche

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 24 mini quiches

Ingredients

• 1 package (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (2 sheets)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
• 1/3 cup diced cooked ham or crumbled cooked bacon
• 2 tablespoons finely diced green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin and set aside.
2. Cut the crusts. Unroll both pie crust sheets on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3-inch round cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out 24 circles, re-rolling scraps as needed.
3. Press crusts into tin. Gently press each dough circle into a muffin cup, fitting it snugly up the sides without tearing. Place the tin in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
4. Make the egg mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and heavy cream until smooth and fully combined. Season with garlic powder, black pepper, salt, and nutmeg.
5. Add fillings. Stir the cheddar, Gruyere, ham (or bacon), and green onion into the egg mixture until evenly distributed.
6. Fill the cups. Remove the tin from the refrigerator. Spoon the filling into each dough-lined cup, filling each about 3/4 full — the eggs will puff slightly as they bake.
7. Bake. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the egg centers are just set and the crust edges are lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
8. Cool and serve. Let the mini quiches cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then use a butter knife to gently loosen them. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 105 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 160mg