La Quiche

In August, I wrote about a quiche I had for lunch when I was in Giverny, France this summer.

Ever since we returned home, I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen. The memorable Giverny quiche had a five-inch high silky mousse-like filling studded with tiny chunks of flavorful just-picked string beans, red pepper, zucchini and potatoes. The butter-rich crust was equally noteworthy.

When Fred was home, I planned to make him what I thought was a pretty close copy. Living in Los Angeles, he’d become quite a quiche connoisseur. Now, he wanted to watch me make one, so he could learn the tricks of great crust and scrumptious filling.

On the day he was going to fly back to LA, I got up early and made the crust.

First I patted the dough into a disk and refrigerated it. A bit later, I rolled it out, put it into a tart pan and put the pan back in the fridge.

When Fred woke up, we put the crust in the oven to brown.


When I got out the ingredients to make the Giverny filling. He asked if I could make his favorite mushroom and spinach filling instead. Needless to say, I obliged. Fred garnished the top with very thin sliced zucchini and tomatoes before it went into the oven.

Once the quiche was baking, I let Fred make a crust so he would see how easy it was. I planned to use the extra crust to make a Giverny quiche later in the week.

About a half hour before he needed to leave for the airport, the quiche was ready. Fred was impressed. When he asked for a Tupperware container to take the quiche --minus the wedge that we ate – home with him, I knew the recipe was a keeper.

Alas, I forgot to take a photo.

Three days later, I was once again persuaded to try a different filling, onion this time. It wasn’t nearly as tasty, but I did remember to snap a photo.

Here’s how to make a killer quiche:

FOR CRUST
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg
Ice- cold water

In a food processor, combine flour salt and butter. Process until mixture has a crumb-like texture. Add egg and process for a few seconds.

Add a spoon of ice water and pulse processor a few times. Add another spoon of water and pulse, as many times as necessary until dough just holds together. Do not over-process.

Turn dough into a plastic bag and pat into a disk. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

When ready to make quiche, remove dough from refrigerator. Let sit for 10 minutes, then roll out on a lightly-floured surface, until circle will fit your tart or quiche pan. Place in pan and tidy-up edges. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. This is very important, if the crust isn’t ice cold it will shrink when you put it in the oven! Prick bottom of pie crust with a fork in 4 places, then bake in 350 oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool slightly, then add filling.

FOR GIVERNY FILLING
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
Salt and pepper
Dash of onion and garlic powder
A pinch of dried thyme
1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked veggies (string beans, red pepper, zucchini and potatoes)

With a whisk beat eggs until little bubbles form. Add
all other ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Although quiche will firm up slightly as it cools, do not take it out of the oven if center is wet.

FOR A SPINACH-MUSHROOM FILLING
Substitute 6 oz brown or white mushrooms and
8 oz of spinach for the cooked veggies.

Cut mushrooms into small chunks and sauté in a little olive oil. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of dried thyme.

Place spinach in a sauté pan and sprinkle with water. Cover and cook over a very low flame until soft. Use a scissor to cut spinach up in to smaller pieces.

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

I will be out of town for several days, so please enjoy
Le Petite cabinet du Curiosities while I am away.

Melanie is a fanatic flea market shopper who sells much of what she finds. Alas, she lives in France! Her September 21 post about French design classics is stunning.