custardy spring quiche
an outline, plus links to my go-to reference recipes
quiche is one of those recipes you need to make just a handful of times before you find the formula and can go off the rails. it’s a recipe that i find pleasure in making, even if it tends to be an all day affair. the fact that it will see you through many lunches, breakfasts or dinners (at least in my 2 person household) makes that effort (most of which is just waiting for things to bake and/or cool) more than worth it.
the outline-slash-recipe you’ll find below is really a cobbling together of my favorite recipes for crust, baking technique, filling and serving, hopefully ensuring anyone who reads it can make themselves a really delicious quiche with what’s in season and what you like. spring seems to be the ideal time to quiche, but it’s beholden to that one time of year.
i prefer my quiche with a rather custardy filling that’s more egg and cream than anything else and cooked just until set, so that’s how it’s written, but you can adjust by adding more things to it, baking it longer or adjusting the cream to egg ratio if you want to get wild.
fillings can range, but any vegetables, greens, and raw meats should be cooked and cooled before being added. i won’t list all the options here, since there are so many, but instead tell you what i usually do. as i like to make quiche in spring, i tend to add some sautéed greens, especially swiss chard, which i prep by stemming (if needed) and chopping, then sautéing in olive oil with sliced garlic, chili flakes and a pinch of salt. i’ll also add cheese, usually crumbled feta, and lots of soft herbs like dill, basil and chive. the zest of a lemon adds vibrance and if i happen to have some blanched peas, asparagus or boiled potatoes around, i’ll throw those in, too.
here are a few specific recipes i referenced in the making of the outline that are free to access and worth checking out if you’re in the mood for more input. if you have questions, comment below and i’ll get back to you. now go forth and quiche!
custardy spring quiche: an outline-slash-recipe
make, bake and cool the crust.
make: this is my favorite recipe for the crust, you need half a batch or about 600 grams dough. make it up to a day in advance and store in the fridge or up to a month in advance and freeze, thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
after making the dough and letting it chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour (3 would be even better!), roll it out until about 1/4-inch (.6 cm), using as much flour as you need. i like to cut two thick strips of parchment paper and place them into my 9-inch (23 cm) baking pan in an X as this gives me some leverage to lift the quiche out of the pan once it’s baked, but this is just my preference as i don’t have a springform pan nor the will to flip my quiche upside down. transfer the dough to the pan and gently press it flush with the bottom and sides of the pan then trim any excess overhang; the crust will shrink, so keep it as tall as possible, you can get rid of the excess later. chill for 1 hour in the fridge or 30 mins in the freezer. preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
bake: dock the chilled dough all over the bottom and sides with a fork. line with foil, pressing it flush to the crust, then fill the foil with baking beans or rice. bake for about 30 minutes, then lift the foil and check the bottom, it should look dry not oily. if it’s still oily looking, bake for another 5 minutes and check again, repeating until it’s dry. once dry, remove beans and foil, and bake again for 20 - 30 minutes or until the entire crust is golden brown. use a pastry brush to brush the entire thing with egg wash (i whisk up my leftover egg white from the filling, see below; you can also use a whole egg) and bake for another 10 minutes.
cool: remove from the oven and let cool completely. if you fill the crust while hot, it could get soggy and will also affect the texture of the filling.
prep the filling.
to make the base of the filling, add 5 large whole eggs and 1 large egg yolk to a large bowl with 1 teaspoon salt. whisk until well combined with no streaks of egg white, then add 360 milliliters of heavy cream (or 180 ml heavy cream and 180 ml whole milk) and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and whisk again to mix. gently stir in up to 250 grams of any additional fillings you’d like. the filling can be prepped up to a day in advance and kept in the fridge, let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
bake and cool.
bake: preheat oven to 170°C/340°F. once preheated, pour the filling into the cooled, baked crust; if you have any caramelized onions around, spread about 2 tablespoons on the bottom of the crust before adding the filling. bake for 1 hour or until the mixture is around 73°C/160°F when temped in multiple spots; it will still be ever so slightly jiggly in the center.
cool: remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature. if you have a springform pan, pop it open to remove the quiche. if you have a regular baking pan, use the parchment strips to lift it out and onto a cutting board (it helps to have an extra set of hands) or place a large plate over the top and flip the quiche out (i hate this, but you do you). use a sharp knife to clean up any weird edges of crust (chef’s treat!) or leave them rugged.
slice and serve.
slice the quiche into thick wedges and serve as desired; room temperature is ideal for me, but you can always pop it back into the oven if you like your quiche a bit warm. i always think a big pile of bitter or spicy greens is so good with a quiche, no matter the filling. i pile them up next to the quiche and douse with lemon juice, olive oil, a pinch of salt and, sometimes, finely grated parmesan cheese.
leftover quiche will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. reheat, covered, in a 180°C/350°F oven for about 15 minutes, then remove the cover and let it go another 5 minutes.
Making Vegan quiche rn