Oct 23
2009
Update 12/8/09: I’m excited to be a featured blogger on Oprah.com for Oprah.com’s Holiday 2009 blow-out ~ come see our favorite holiday recipes!

A few weeks ago I received an email from Challenge Dairy, a dairy company here in the West, asking if I would be interested in participating in a holiday recipe showdown.  The deal was that Challenge Dairy would send me some free goodies and I would then use those goodies to create a recipe using Challenge Butter in a category they would choose for me.  I figured it would be stupid to say no to free butter! As Julia Child said, “With enough butter, anything is good.”  Besides, I’m never one to back down from a recipe challenge!

When my Challenge Dairy package arrived in the mail I learned that my challenge was to create a holiday appetizer recipe.  I began thinking about a way to showcase butter in an appetizer. One of the items included in the package was a jar of ground chipotle chile.  The spice bottled triggered an idea to make chipotle pork quichelettes, so I used the coupons also included in the package to go to the grocery store and pick up a box of Challenge Butter.

I used the butter to make a SUPER EASY soft pastry dough.  I’m serious–EASY.  I’ll show you.  All you do is mix together some flour, egg, salt, and lots of butter together in a bowl until it makes a dough that you can form into a ball.

Then, on a floured work surface, you roll that ball of dough out into a log,

and cut the log into 20 pieces (I cut the log in half, then cut those halves into halves, and so on).

Still with me?  Then you roll each piece into a ball and flatten the ball in between your hands.

Then you just press it into the well of a regular sized muffin tin and use your fingers to press the dough up the sides a bit.

That’s it!!  No worrying about cutting in any ingredients or about your butter not being cold enough–you START with softened butter!

Ok, once you’ve prepared all of your quichelette crusts, it’s time to make the filling.  This is even easier. Just fry up some ground pork in a skillet and season it with some salt and ground chipotle chile.  Then you sprinkle the pork, along with some finely shredded cheddar cheese and minced chives into the quichelette crusts.

Then you beat some salt, eggs, and half-and-half together in a bowl and then slowly pour a bit of it into each quichelette until it reaches the top of the crust.

I like to pour the mixture into a liquid measuring cup so that it’s easier to pour into the quichelettes.

Now just stick ’em in the oven until they’ve started to brown and they’re DONE!!

The butter really is the star in these quichelettes.  It’s important to use a butter that you love the flavor of, because it makes all the difference in the crust.  The butter makes the quichelette crust buttery and flaky so that it melts in your mouth.  The quiche filling has a wonderful smoky flavor with just a bit of a kick from the ground chipotle chili. These quichelettes are so good that you may just want to skip the meal altogether and fill up on appetizers!

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Chipotle Pork Quichelettes
Makes 20 quichelettes

For the Tart Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
11 tablespoons (5.5 ounces) butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:
6 ounces lean ground pork
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon minced chives
2 eggs
1 cup half-and-half cream

1. For the Tart Crust: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, butter, egg, and salt together with a wooden spoon, or with a hand mixer on the lowest speed.  Mix until the dough comes together into a cohesive mixture, rather than lots of individual lumps, and can be formed into a ball.

2. Grease the wells of a regular size muffin tin .  You will need 20 separate muffin wells, so it will take multiple tins.  On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a log about 15 inches long.  Cut the log into 20 equally sized pieces.  Roll each piece of dough into a ball and then flatten it slightly with your palms.  Place the dough into a greased muffin tin and use your fingers to press the dough out and up the sides of the muffin well to shape the sides.

3. For the Filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a skillet, cook the ground pork over medium heat until no longer pink.  While it is cooking, season it with the ground chipotle chile and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.

4. Sprinkle the sausage, cheddar cheese and chives into the tart shells.  In a bowl, beat the eggs, cream, and remaining salt together until combined. Pour the mixture into the quichelette crusts until it reaches the top edge of the crusts.

5. Bake the quichelettes for 26-28 minutes or until slightly browned.  Let them cool for about 10 minutes and then very gently lift them out with a butter knife and serve warm.

**Challenge Dairy is running a sweepstakes for a chance to win a 7 day/6 night vacation to the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch (ooooh, pick me! pick me!) in Montana’s Paradise Valley, just North of Yellowstone National Park.  They’re also giving away a big kitchen package from OXO and Spice Islands worth $850 to one lucky first place winner. Go and enter the Sweepstakes!  Also, if you write a post about the sweepstakes, you can submit the link to [email protected] and be entered into the drawing.

{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }

Jenn October 23, 2009 at 5:30 pm

Perfect little appetizers!!!! Saving this one!

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veron October 23, 2009 at 5:55 pm

That really looks fantastic as appetizers!

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The Little Teochew October 23, 2009 at 7:44 pm

This I have GOT to try!!! They look absolutely delish! I might just make it for lunch in a while. I have some bacon and creme fraiche in the fridge :) Thank you for sharing this.

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PheMom October 23, 2009 at 8:02 pm

Loooove how you made these and can't wait to try that crust recipe. Your quichlettes look like the perfect little bites – I actually especially love how low they are – I'm all for a more even filling/eggy mixture to crust ratio!

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Lauren October 23, 2009 at 9:35 pm

Mmm, those look wonderful! I love the simplicity of this dish =D.

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Barbara Bakes October 23, 2009 at 9:47 pm

These little beautiful as well as delicious!

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NMOS October 23, 2009 at 10:35 pm

I've actually tried some of these quichelettes (I just didn't know that's what they were called). You should try them with bacon and green onion, or ham and a blue cheese. They're both delicious.

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MeetaK October 24, 2009 at 2:11 am

sensational little bites and using the muffin pan is a great idea for this. a real party pleasure!

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Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite October 24, 2009 at 3:52 am

Free butter + challenge? Sounds like your kinda thing to do! Love this recipe and will definitely bookmark for later – a great place to put some of that bacon and pancetta we've been curing (again!! – loved it so much after the BLT challenge we are doing it all over again!)

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Ann October 24, 2009 at 6:16 am

Got to try these, they look delicious and very easy – thanks!!!

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Kamran Siddiqi October 24, 2009 at 7:05 am

These look Yummalicious to the Centillionth power! Would be great as appetizers when we have guests over… Looks simple and fast. Lovely photos, BTW!

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Theresa111 October 24, 2009 at 10:34 am

Nice and i really like the smaller portioned recipe. Now that it is just two of us at home, and sometimes I am only preparing a meal for myself, it is so lovely to see tiny portions. It makes me want to eat some … do you deliver?

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Damaris October 24, 2009 at 3:40 pm

woah your pictures are looking so sharp! congrats. Can't wait to see you next month in SF

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kt October 24, 2009 at 3:45 pm

I found your blog today. saw this recipe and couldn't wait to make them. I immediately went the market and picked up my ingredients. Thank you SO much for the quick and easy pastry dough recipe! So easy! The quichelettes are in the oven now. 5 more min! Your blog is a favorite now. Thank you!

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Amber October 24, 2009 at 4:37 pm

Those look freaking amazing! I am so going to make them! I've already made your creamy crock pot porkey chops and the chicken version! GREAT!

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mushroommeadows October 24, 2009 at 7:35 pm

whoa…those look scrumptious! I totally want to make some!!! The crust does look easy. :)

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Nutmeg Nanny October 24, 2009 at 7:39 pm

I love saying the word quichelette. It's such a fun word:) These look great by the way:)

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Darina October 24, 2009 at 10:11 pm

Wow, these are great. they look so tasty. Free butter … luck you!

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Mary October 25, 2009 at 9:27 am

What a perfect mouthful. They really look amazing and you've also made then look easy to do. I think I'm going to love these.

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Amanda October 25, 2009 at 7:57 pm

Look at how beautiful those are ! They look delish Racheal!

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Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction October 25, 2009 at 9:33 pm

Your quichelettes look beautiful and delicious. You are so creative… I love your recipes!

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LollyChops October 26, 2009 at 7:56 am

These look so easy and tasty too! I am going to a party this Saturday night and I might just have to make these to take with me! I bet they travel really well!

HUGS Fuji!

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lobstersandwich October 26, 2009 at 3:03 pm

These look wonderful. Can't wait to make them. Great blog. Super pictures and instructions. THANK YOU,SAUCY

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Anonymous October 26, 2009 at 9:25 pm

These look super easy and tasty, thanks, great appetizer for our Halloween Party!!

bonnie
http://sweetlifebake.blogspot.com

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Grace October 27, 2009 at 1:55 am

let's disect the name of this dish, shall we? "chipotle" is always a catchword for me–if it's spicy, chances are good that i'll love it. "pork" is synonymous with "magic." i like pig. "quichelettes" is not a real word, and for that reason alone, i love it. this is a brilliant and scrumptious concoction!

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Cottage Sisters October 28, 2009 at 12:40 pm

I made these, I changed them to make them vegetarian and they were wonderful. I also tried your Mock-i-zushi and they were awesome. My husband loved both! Denise

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Barbara @ VinoLuciStyle.com December 29, 2009 at 1:50 pm

I’m making these for New Year’s…but have to ask. Are you using regular size muffin tins? I want to make them in mini muffin tins so just want to make sure…thanks a bunch!

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) December 29, 2009 at 1:56 pm

These are done in regular size muffin tins. I’ve never made them in mini tins, so let me know how they turn out!

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Ricki December 30, 2009 at 9:41 pm

I made these for a party, and they were so delicious!!! I made them in mini tins, as I couldn’t find my regular sized muffin tins (which I found later). The only difference was they came out a bit taller and were smaller, width-wise. I liked this, as I could get bigger chunks of pork in them :o) I also made them not spicy, as I wasn’t sure if there would be picky eaters, and they were great.

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sexual herbal enhancement November 11, 2010 at 6:54 pm

thanks for the wonderful recipe. i tried this last family weekend. and it was a ‘blockbuster’.

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Grapefruit January 21, 2011 at 8:31 pm

Wow, such a simple & flavorful idea. I am a sucker for anything ‘chipotle’ & would love to try this out with chicken soon.

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leemz March 11, 2011 at 12:55 am

Wow! I’m a fan :D These came out delicious. Made them with chicken sausages and love it. Thanks again! :D

I’ll give your link when I post the recipe on my blog,
happy cooking.

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lfm fan April 6, 2011 at 8:31 am

These look fantastic! I only have a jumbo muffin tin right now. Can I use that and just bake for a longer time period?

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Felice January 17, 2014 at 7:59 am

These look delicious ! Do you think they would freeze well?

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Fuji Mama (Rachael) February 3, 2014 at 7:04 pm

They do freezer pretty well, Felice. You just need to be gentle with them, as the crust is a bit more delicate than regular quiche crust!

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Carol August 20, 2015 at 2:19 pm

Sounds and looks great. Also. I love the comments!

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