Holiday Quiche Recipe — Caralyn Mirand Koch (2024)

FAQs

What not to put in quiche? ›

Avoid Fillings That Are Too Wet

And if you're using an ingredient such as sautéed spinach, be sure to squeeze the liquid out before adding it to your quiche.

You need a par-baked or fully baked crust if you're making quiche, no-bake pie, custard pie, cream pie, pudding pie, or simply want an extra-crisp pie crust. If you're making a pie that doesn't require a baked filling, you still need a baked crust.

You want to cook your quiche low and slow to keep the light fluffy texture. Too high of heat will cause the egg to curdle.

Sprinkle cheese into the bottom of the pie crust; set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the eggs, milk, cream, flour, chives, salt, and pepper, and beat with a wire whisk until the mixture is smooth and incorporated. Pour the custard mixture carefully over the cheeses in the crust.

Quiche Ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy

You'll need to increase the amount of eggs and milk based on the size of your quiche, so knowing the basic ratio makes it really easy to scale up or down. For a standard 9-inch quiche: Use 3 large eggs (6 ounces) 1 1/2 cups of whole milk or cream (12 ounces)

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

Add pie weights, dry rice, dried beans or (as I've done here) dry wheat berries, enough to fill the pan 2/3 full. Chill the crust for 30 minutes; this will solidify the fat, which helps prevent shrinkage. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven, and lift out the paper and weights.

The Kitchn cautions that using too many eggs can make the consistency of the quiche rubbery and tough, while using too few eggs can prevent the custard filling from setting properly, giving you a runny, soggy quiche. The recommended proportion is one egg to one-half cup of cream or milk.

Heavy Cream and Milk – For the best tasting quiche, use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. (Or simply use half-and-half.) Using just heavy cream produces an overly thick filling. Whole milk is great, but a combo of heavy cream and milk is better.

Place quiche on baking sheet. Bake uncovered in hot oven until quiche reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees, 20-25 minutes.

What are the best cheeses for quiche? ›

Ingredients for Quiche Lorraine:

Cheese: cheddar, swiss, parmesan. Cream and milk. Spices: nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Frittatas are Italian in origin and can be described as a cross between an omelet and a crustless quiche. Frittatas take less time to make than quiche or strata. The dish is traditionally made by beating eggs with dairy—often heavy cream or half and half—together with ingredients like vegetables, meats and cheeses.

Originally, it was a savory pie consisting of an egg and cream custard with bacon or salmon. The French word for cake is "quiche," which might have influenced the name. The dish as we know it today originated in the Lorraine region of France in the 1800s. It consists of eggs and cream or milk in a pastry crust.

Flavor your quiche with seasonings that compliment your filling. Try chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil or oregano, when available. Baked quiche is a perfect light luncheon or supper entrée. Serve with a tossed salad and fresh fruit dessert.

If your quiche appears watery it may just need to set for a little longer. The recipe may also contain too much dairy, so make sure that the recipe you are following has the ratio of 4 eggs to 1 cup dairy. The added ingredients could also contain too much moisture, so it is important to cook or drain additions.

The challenge: There is no dispute about the characteristics of an ideal quiche. It must have a tender, butter pastry case embracing a velvety smooth custard that is silken on the tongue and neither too rich nor too lean.