Quiche

Elegance comes to mind when you hear quiche. Historically, this classic French dish originated in Germany. This cake-like, rustic dish is the classic all in one meal, or a perfect accompaniment for a stylish brunch. A buttery crust holds in the custard ingredients. As the quiche bakes, the warm, earthy flavors waft through the house, whetting your appetite. For more historical perspective on quiches, check this out.

Filling:

3 eggs
1 ½ cups evaporated milk
½ cup Shredded cheese ( I used a mix of Mozarella and Monterray Jack and topped with Cheddar slices)
Stir fried vegetables ( asparagus, red peppers, mushrooms)
Salt and Pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
oil

Crust:

1 ¼ cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter chilled and cubed

Directions:

Process the crust ingredients till it looks like gravelly sand. It’s really important to use chilled butter and the ice water so that the temperature doesn’t drop through the processing. Cut the butter in multiple short bursts rather than one prolonged stretch. Alternately, you can also do this by hand using a pastry cutter. Put the dough in a square form and wrap in plastic. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

chilled butter and ice water

process in mixer

crumbly texture

knead

form in ball

cover with plastic and chill

Saute the vegetables with salt and pepper and the minced garlic in some oil.
Whisk the eggs and milk in a separate container and keep aside to pour in once the dish is assembled.

snap asparagus at ends to get rid of fibrous stalks

saute garlic

saute vegtables

Preparing crust:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Take out the chilled crust and roll out on a dusted flour surface in a rectangular shape ( or circular if you are choosing to use a 9” pie pan. Using the rolling pin, wrap the dough around it lightly and transfer to the dish. Unwrap to let the crust fall in the dish. The pastry will be slightly crumbly so if it breaks in certain areas, just press and patch it with scraps of pastry. Makes sure the pastry is evenly distributed so it cooks evenly.Blind bake the crust ( this just means weighing down the pastry with some beans and cooking for 10 mins) Remove beans and cook the crust an additional 10 minutes.

roll out

dock with a fork

blind bake

baked and ready to be filled

Assembling:

Once the crust is cooked, arrange the vegetables in it and pour the milk and egg mix over it. Arrange the Cheddar slices and bake uncovered 40 -50 mins. It would be a good idea to put your baking dishes in a jelly roll pan to catch any accidental spills from the custard.

arrange vegetables

pour in custard

arrange sliced cheese

Once done, let it sit 5 minutes to fully set. Serve with a greens salad.
Variations: You can add chicken, smoked salmon and other vegetables like broccoli.

For other cheesy treats, check out these delicious cheesy chicken cutlets.