The Ever Versatile Quiche

 

 

I may not be someone who hosts a lot of brunches, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate and enjoy a good quiche, a classic brunch staple. Quiche is one of those dishes that most people love, but don't make very often for some reason. It's actually super easy to put together and can serve a crowd easily. It can also be filled with whatever you like, so you could make several for your next get-together and please vegetarians and meat eaters alike. The basic recipe is the same, but the varieties are endless. Recently, I made a ham, cheese, potato quiche and a blue cheese, caramelized onion, spinach, mushroom quiche. Cheddar, fresh corn, and roasted tomatoes is also amazing when corn is in season. You want your fillings to not be too wet and mostly cooked, but not overcooked. You can also add a variety of different herbs and spices.

The recipe seems to be the go-to one from Marthastewart.com and the custard filling holds up nicely. I've also made wonderful mini quiches from another Martha Stewart recipe that has an even lighter and softer custard. That one works better in mini form and takes a bit more work. I'll show those in a later post. For this larger version, you can assemble the quiche in whatever pan you like. You can use a quiche pan, a springform pan, or a pie pan as I've done here. If you are making a deeper quiche, you can just scale up the recipe and bake it a bit longer.

Quiche
Recipe from MarthaStewart.com
Makes one 9 inch quiche

Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt, double the amount of kosher salt
1/8-1/4 cup iced water

Pulse the butter, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor until the butter is the size of peas. Gradually add just enough iced water as the processor is running until the dough just holds together when squeezed in the palm of your hand. Dump out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a round disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days or freeze up to a month.

When ready to use, roll out the pie dough to a round big enough with overhang for a 9 inch pie plate. Fit into the pie plate, fold the overhang under, crimp, dock with a fork, then freeze for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 deg F. Line the pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 30-35 minutes removing the parchment and pie weights halfway through so that the crust can begin to brown. Remove when the crust starts to color nicely. Set aside while you prepare the filling.

Reduce the oven to 350 deg F.

Filling
6 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
About 2 cups meat/veggies/cheese of your choice, partially cooked
Salt and pepper, to taste

Whisk the eggs and heavy cream together in a large measuring cup. Season with salt and pepper depending on the saltiness of your add ins.

Layer your cooked meat, veggies, and cheese into the prebaked pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over the top and use a fork to help distribute the egg mixture throughout. Bake at 350 deg. F for 30-35 minutes until the custard is just set. Let cool slightly before serving.

Quiche may be eaten warm or at room temp. Store in the refrigerator, well wrapped, for up to several days. Reheat at 325 deg. F for about 15 minutes.