Week 44 -- Custards and Quiche

Quiche is essentially a custard made with milk and eggs poured into a pie crust and baked, in other words an egg pie with other ingredients, like cheese, meat, seafood, and vegetables added in. Make pro-level quiches, tarts, and custards by treating the eggs well.

Quiche Basics

  • Bake quiche at least 325F, because egg protein coagulates at 165F, sugars caramelize at 320F, so low oven temperature is best to bake thoroughly but avoid excessive browning (caramelization) to keep the color nice and yellow, or if you want to brown the outer surface of your quiche then raise the oven temperature to 350F or 375F, up to you
  • The pie crust may be sweet or savory, but in order to keep the bottom crust from getting too soggy, a mealy pie dough is usually best
  • Quiche can be done in a traditional 9-inch crust, but may also be personal-sized in small tart pans, or in a rectangular baking dish
  • Moisture control is very important if we want the egg proteins to coagulate and set, then all other ingredients, meat, vegetables, etc, must be as dry as possible before adding in
  • Pie crusts should usually be blind-baked (pre-baked) for a few minutes to prevent excess absorption of moisture in bottom crust, being sure to dock the crust bottom well to prevent crust bubbles rising up, and it pays to put foil around the outer edge to prevent excess crust browning later, about 10 minutes at 350F is usually good
  • Formula for quiche custard is 3 eggs to 1 cup of milk, you can vary that with more or less milk or cream, depending on the finished custard texture you desire
  • Add ingredients, pour in egg/milk mixture
  • Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean, check at 20 minutes, and every 10 minutes thereafter
  • Allow to cool, then serve

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Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

  • Ingredients
    • 9-inch pie crust
    • 2 cups broccoli florets
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 1 cup mild cheddar (white cheddar is good) 4 oz
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 cup milk, or half & half
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Procedure
    • Layout pie crust in pie dish
    • Blind-bake the docked pie crust, with foil around the edge, about 10 minutes at 350F
    • Simmer the broccoli in water or chicken broth to al dente
    • Drain the broccoli well, dry as possible
    • Saute the onion until soft, dry as possible
    • Combine the broccoli and onion
    • Mix together the eggs and milk
    • Combine egg/milk mixture, cooled vegetables, cheese, salt and pepper
    • Fill the pie crust, spreading out evenly
    • Bake quiche at 350F on top of cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment 30-45 minutes or until quiche is set and a knife inserted in center comes out clean

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Spinach Bacon Mushroom Quiche

  • Ingredients
    • 9-inch pie crust
    • 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained and squeezed to eliminate excess moisture
    • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 5 strips bacon, diced
    • 2.5 oz andouille sausage, sliced thin
    • 1 cup grated cheese, swiss, colby, monterey jack, white cheddar
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 cup milk, or half & half
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • Procedure
    • Layout pie crust in pie dish
    • Blind-bake the docked pie crust, with foil around the edge, about 10 minutes at 350F
    • Saute bacon and andouille, set aside on paper towel to drain
    • Saute onions and mushrooms, squeeze out excess moisture, set aside
    • Mix together the eggs and milk
    • Combine egg/milk mixture, salt and pepper
    • Fill the pie crust in layers (each layer spread out evenly), building up from bottom of pie crust, 1/2 of the bacon and andouille, 1/2 of onions and mushrooms, 1/2 of cheese, all of the spinach, then another layer each of remaining bacon and andouille, onions and mushrooms, cheese
    • Pour egg and milk mixture all over the top
    • Bake quiche at 350F on top of foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet 30-45 minutes or until quiche is set and a knife inserted in center comes out clean

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Quiche Lorraine with Hash Brown Crust

  • Crust Ingredients
    • 2 lbs potatoes (golden yukons are great), peeled and shredded
    • 1 onion, shredded
    • 2 tbs olive/canola oil
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
  • Custard Ingredients
    • 6 eggs
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
    • 1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped fine
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Other Ingredients
    • 1 cup shredded gruyere, or cheddar, or mozzarella, or jack cheese, or combination of cheeses
    • 5 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
  • Procedure
    • Shred potatoes and onions, soak in water for about 20 minutes, then squeeze out all excess moisture, add 2 tbs oil, salt and pepper, mix well
    • Grease 10 inch iron skillet, and coat bottom and sides with potato/onion mixture like a crust
    • Bake crust at 400F for 25 minutes, then drizzle oil around the potato rim, set aside
    • Fry bacon and crumble when cooled
    • Shred 1 cup of cheese of choice
    • Sprinkle crust bottom evenly with bacon
    • Whisk together the heavy cream, eggs, parmesan, chives, salt and pepper, then pour into the hash brown crusted skillet, over the bacon
    • Sprinkle top with shredded cheese
    • Put back in oven for 25 minutes at 400F
    • Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving

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Shrimp Crab Quiche

  • Ingredients
    • 9-inch pie crust
    • 1/2 lb crabmeat, drained
    • 1/2 lb shrimp, cut in bite-size pieces
    • 4 oz grated gruyere or swiss or monterey jack cheese
    • 1/2 medium onion, chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 3 scallions, minced
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 tsp lemon zest (or lime)
    • 1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
    • 1/8 tsp ground mace (a pinch)
  • Procedure
    • Layout pie crust in pie dish
    • Blind-bake the docked pie crust, with foil around the edge, about 10 minutes at 350F
    • Saute onion until tender, then garlic, and shrimp lightly, separate shrimp from vegetables and allow all to cool
    • Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bottom of the pie crust
    • Top with the crab meat and shrimp and sprinkle with the scallions
    • Whisk together the heavy cream, eggs, lemon zest, seafood seasoning, salt, pepper, and mace
    • Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust
    • Place on foil or parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350F until the custard sets, about 30-45 minutes or until quiche is set and a knife inserted in center comes out clean
    • Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving

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Shrimp Spinach Tomato Quiche

  • Ingredients
    • 9-inch pie crust
    • 1 lb shrimp, cut in bite-size pieces (reserve 6 whole shrimp aside for the top)
    • 5 eggs
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 1/4 cup heavy cream
    • 1/4 cup sour cream
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tbs olive oil/canola (for sauteing vegetables and shrimp and wilting spinach)
    • 1/2 large onion, diced
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 3 scallions, chopped
    • 8 oz baby spinach, divided
    • 4 oz mozzarella, shredded (any type of good melting white cheese)
    • 14 cherry tomatoes, sliced into 3 slices each for topping
  • Procedure
    • Layout pie crust in pie dish, after a light coat of cooking spray
    • Blind-bake the docked pie crust, with foil around the edge, about 10 minutes at 350F
    • Saute onion until tender, then garlic, and shrimp (not the 6 reserved for the top) lightly, wilt down 3/4 of the spinach (reserving the remaining quarter uncooked) allow all to cool
    • Separate shrimp from vegetables, then cut the shrimp into bite size pieces (about 4 pieces each for large shrimp)
    • Whisk together the heavy cream, sour cream, milk, eggs, salt, pepper, scallions (reserve some green tops for topping/garnish
    • Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bottom of the pie crust
    • Spread onion, garlic, and wilted spinach (chopped and moisture squeezed out) over the cheese
    • Layer with the sauteed shrimp, then layer with the reserved uncooked spinach (chopped fine)
    • Pour the egg/cream/milk mixture into the pie crust
    • Top with the tomato slices (like a pizza), then place the 6 whole, uncooked shrimp evenly around the pie, so that each of 6 slices gets a whole shrimp
    • Place on foil or parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350F until the custard sets, about 30-45 minutes or until quiche is set and a knife/toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
    • Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing and serving

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Zabaglione (Italian Custard)

  • Ingredients
    • 6 egg yolks
    • 1/2 cup sugar
    • 1/3 cup Marsala wine
    • Pinch of salt
    • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
    • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Procedure
    • Prepare for double boiler, bring about 1 inch of water to a simmer
    • In large bowl, add egg yolks and sugar, mix with whisk (consider a stick mixer to save arm), 4-5 minutes, incorporate air, double volume
    • Add Marsala, salt and nutmeg to yolks and sugar, place bowl on sauce pan (dbl boiler)
    • Beat with whisk (consider a stick mixer to save arm) continually until it is thick (about 10 minutes), triple volume, and registers 160F
    • Remove bowl from pan, add vanilla, whisk to combine
    • Fill ramekins, placed in larger pan, and bake for 4-5 minutes at 375F to develop crust
    • Serve with berries if desired
    • Use chocolate liqueur instead of Marsala if desired, or place a Hershey's kiss in the center, or a few chocolate chips
    • Instead of baking, the custard can simply fill a ramekin and be chilled without baking, or served warm immediately after making

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Creme Brulee (French Custard)

  • Ingredients (4 servings)
    • 2.5 egg yolks (weigh 3 yolks, divide by 6, multiply by 5 for weight, or just use 3 yolks)
    • 6 tbs + 1 tsp sugar
    • 1.5 cups heavy cream
    • 1/8 tsp salt
    • 3/4 tsp vanilla
  • Procedure
    • Preheat oven to 325F
    • Whisk the egg yolks and 5 tbs of granulated sugar together. Set aside
    • Begin bringing 2 cups water to a boil in small pan, for the water bath in the baking sheet later
    • Heat the heavy cream and salt together in a medium saucepan over medium heat, as soon as it begins to simmer, remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract
    • Remove about 1/2 cup of warm heavy cream and, in a slow and steady stream, whisk into the egg yolks (temper the eggs so they don't become scrambled eggs), keep the egg yolks moving, then in a slow and steady stream, pour and whisk the tempered egg mixture into the warm cream
    • Place ramekins in a large baking pan, divide custard between each ramekin, filling close to the top (1 inch height)
    • Carefully fill the pan with about 1/2 inch of the hot water prepared above (the moisture will prevent the custard from becoming rubbery while it bakes)
    • Transfer baking sheet to the oven
    • Bake until the edges are set and centers are a little jiggly, the time depends on the depth of the ramekins, for 1 inch ramekins the custard takes about 35 minutes, begin checking at 30 minutes, for a more accurate sign, they’re done when instant read thermometer registers 170F
    • Remove pan from oven and remove the ramekins from the pan
    • Place on a wire rack to cool for at least 1 hour, place in the refrigerator, loosely covered, and chill for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days before topping
    • Using the remaining sugar, sprinkle a thin layer all over the surface of the chilled custards
    • Caramelize the sugar with a torch or oven broiler and serve immediately

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Ham, Spinach, Mushroom Strata

  • Ingredients (6 servings)
    • 6 cups cubed French, Italian, or ciabatta bread (day old is good)
    • 8 oz mushrooms, thick slices
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 bag baby spinach
    • 8 oz cubed ham (a ham steak or leftover baked ham is good)
    • 1.5 cups shredded cheese (gruyere, jack, colby, cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, etc, -- your choice)
    • 8 eggs
    • 1 cup milk + 1 cup heavy cream, or 2 cups half and half
    • 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Procedure
    • Generously butter or spray a 9x9 casserole dish
    • Saute ham, onions, mushrooms, garlic, wilt down spinach, set aside
    • Whisk the eggs, cream, salt and pepper together, then add the bread to soak up the custard
    • Cover bottom of baking dish with 1/2 of the bread
    • Layer 1/2 of the cheese over bread
    • Layer ham mixture over the cheese
    • Layer 2/3 of the remaining cheese on top of ham mixture
    • Layer other 1/2 of bread on top of the cheese layer, pour on any remaining custard
    • Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of bread
    • Preheat oven to 350F, allow casserole to stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour
    • Bake casserole uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes
    • Check for doneness as you would a quiche, with toothpick or knife inserted in center to see if it comes out clean
    • Put under broiler for a couple minutes to brown the top more if needed
    • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving

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Goat Cheese Spinach Tomato Quiche

  • Ingredients (9 inch quiche)
    • 9-inch pie crust
    • 1/2 onion, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 10 oz frozen spinach, or a bag of fresh baby spinach
    • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
    • 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled or chopped
    • 1/2 cup shredded gruyere or cheddar or gouda or cheese of choice
    • 4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
    • 4 eggs
    • 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream, or 1 cup half and half
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Procedure
    • Layout pie crust in pie dish, dock the crust
    • Blind-bake the docked pie crust, about 10 minutes at 350F, edges covered with foil
    • Fry bacon, set aside, crumble when cool
    • Thaw and drain the spinach, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then chop up
    • Saute onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach
    • Put the saute mixture in a strainer to squeeze out as much moisture as possible
    • Whisk the eggs, cream, salt and pepper together, stir in crumbled goat cheese and saute mixture
    • Sprinkle crust bottom with the bacon and shredded cheese of choice
    • Fill the pie crust with custard mixture, spreading out evenly
    • Bake quiche at 350F on top of foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet 40-45 minutes or until quiche is set and a toothpick or knife inserted in center comes out clean, check at 30 minutes
    • Let quiche rest 15 minutes before serving

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Crustless Mini Quiche in Ramekins

  • Ingredients (8 - 4 oz ramekins)
  • The following recipe is an example, and what matters here is the method, so ingredients can be varied at will
  • The key is portioning 32 oz of quiche ingredients into 8 - 4 oz ramekins
    • 1/2 onion, shredded
    • 1 small carrot, shredded
    • 1 small zucchini, or half a large zucchini, shredded
    • 1/2 cup quinoa (1.5 cups cooked)
    • 1/2 cup ham, small cubes (1/4 inch)
    • 1/2 cup shredded gruyere or cheddar or gouda or cheese of choice
    • 4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
    • 8 eggs
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • Any other desired herbs, eg., rosemary, thyme, etc
  • Procedure
    • Grease the ramekins, layout on baking sheet
    • Provide a light layer of cheese on ramekin bottom
    • Add a layer of ham (all of the ham)
    • Add a layer of the quinoa (about 1/2 of the quinoa)
    • Put shredded vegetables in a strainer with a little salt, allow moisture to be drawn out, then queeze out as much moisture as possible
    • Add the vegetables over the first layer of quinoa, then top with remaining quinoa
    • Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper and any other herbs desired
    • Distribute the custard among the ramekins
    • Top with desired amount of shredded cheeses of choice
    • Bake at 350F on top of baking sheet 25 to 30 minutes or until quiche is set and a toothpick or knife inserted in center comes out clean, check at 25 minutes, then at 5 minute intervals
    • Let quiche rest 10 minutes before serving

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