How to Make Quiche

What is Quiche?

The basic building block of quiche is egg. First you make an egg custard and it is then baked into a flaky pastry pie shell crust. It is possible to make a crust-less pastry quiche if that's what you would like. The base ingredients of a quiche filling are cream, milk and eggs. The added ingredients are up to the individual’s preferential tastes but these can be vegetables, spices, cheese, meat and seafood. Quiche Lorraine is the most commonly known quiche, combining cheese and bacon to make a simple but tasty dish. As mentioned, here we will go through the basics of making a quiche and then provide some ideas for what to add.

Texture of a Quiche

To put it simply, quiche is an egg pie, but this doesn't sound particularly appetizing, does it? Texture is a key factor when making the perfect quiche and one that cannot be overlooked. The type we will be describing should be soft and creamy with a contrast in textures that comes from added sautéed vegetables, crispy bacon or ham. The highlight of the quiche is leaning more to the milk/cream and not the egg. When making a quiche, you should remember that it is not a frittata, which is a sturdier, harder dish, rather you should aim for a moist and welcoming bite that melts in the mouth.

How to Make a Quiche

Now we have an idea of what the end result should be, it is time to get into how we are going to make our quiche.

First, it is best to blind bake your pie crust, which we will go through in a quick review a little later. Next we will prepare our choice of add-ins, getting our cheeses shredded, and cooking any meat or vegetables we want. Combine the wet ingredients of milk/cream and eggs. Whisk these together then add in your prepared ingredients. Finally we will bake the quiche until it is almost set which should take about 45 minutes.

We will let the quiche cool then slice up and serve. You can also freeze leftovers, which will last for up to 3 months, remember to fully cool quiche before placing in your freezer.

How to Bake the Quiche

First you will need to make the pie crust ahead of time, this is because it will need to chill for at least 2 hours. Roll it out so it fits into a 9 inch pie dish and then chill the pie crust for at least 30 minutes. Bake until the edges are brown which will take about 15minutes at 375F (190C). You will then need to prick the pie crust and bake for another 8 minutes. Next you will reduce the temperature down to 350F (177C). In a large bowl, mix the eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, salt and pepper until combined, then add any of your selected add-ins (cheese, bacon) and add it all to your quiche crust. Now you will bake for a further 45 to 55 minutes. A top tip it to use a pie shield to stop the top from over browning.  Allow to cool, which should take about 15 minutes. Now is the perfect time to add any toppings you like. Cut and serve.

3 Ideas for Quiche Fillings

Ham, spinach feta. 3 cups fresh spinach, make sure to sauté with olive oil over a medium heat, 1 cup cubed and cooked ham, 1 cup crumbled feta.

Crab, gruyere, old bay.  1 and a half cups fresh cooked crab meat, 1 cup shredded gruyere and half a teaspoon of old bay seasoning.

Crispy bacon, cheddar and scallions. 6-8 rashers of crispy bacon crumbled, 1 cup cheddar and roughly 3 table spoons of scallion.