A Good Quiche is Such a Joy.
The first inkling of chilly autumn weather came our way a couple weeks ago and the first thing I wanted to eat was a warm and creamy quiche. It just seemed perfect for a crisp cool evening. And seeing as how I’ve been playing around with using pecans in pie crust, I decided to use it for my quiche and to build on its flavor.
The crust is easily made in a food processor. Toasted pecans are finely ground before flour, sugar, and salt are mixed in. Cold cubes of butter are pulsed in until they’re pea sized, then ice water is added and it’s all briefly mixed together.
Dump it out on your work surface, give it a few quick kneads until it comes together, pat it into a disc, and chill it for a couple of hours or overnight. Even though this is a savory dish, I still use some granulated sugar in the crust – 1 tablespoon. The sugar makes the pecans taste richer and brings out their flavor. The quiche won’t taste sweet.
When you’re ready to roll out the dough, generously flour your work surface, and you’ll be good to go. For all my quiches I use a deep dish tin with a removable bottom .* It measures 9 3/4 inches x 2 inches. It’s important that you use a tin or dish that is 2 inches deep. A more shallow dish will not work. You can use a deep dish pie plate that has no removable bottom, just be sure it is 2 inches deep.
After rolling out the dough and placing it in the tin I freeze it for about 20-30 minutes. It should be rock hard by that time. Then it’s time to blind bake the crust. It’s an essential step as it is the only way to prevent your crust from being soggy. Line the pan with foil and pie weights. It’s necessary to fill the pan with weights.
Don’t just put them in the bottom of the lined pan. You need to fill up the pan in order to keep the sides of the crust from slumping. Use whatever kind of weights you prefer. Rice, sugar, beans, and ceramic pie weights all work well. Bake the crust for a half hour, remove the pie weights and foil, and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Let the crust cool while you make the filling.
After many years of making quiches I came up with what I think is the perfect custard and I don’t ever vary these amounts or ingredients – 2/3 cup crème fraîche, 1 cup heavy cream, and 3 large eggs. This has become my go-to quiche custard for good reason. It’s beautifully creamy, not too eggy, and bakes up perfectly. I have no reason to mess with perfection.
A quick word about crème fraîche. I’ve mentioned it on countless occasions, but it’s worth mentioning again in case you missed it. It is a cinch to make yourself. I haven’t bought it in many years. Simply stir together 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Cover it lightly and let it sit at room temperature until it thickens and develops its signature tart/tangy flavor – anywhere from 12 to 40 hours, depending on your room temperature and particular environment.
Now, on to the other flavors in my quiche. I used aged English cheddar – the kind that has a lot of bite to it. And instead of shredding it, I cut it into small cubes. I’ve been doing this for awhile in my quiches because I like how the cubes end up melting into little pools of cheese and are wonderful when you bite into them.
So far, I had the pecan and butter flavored crust, the tangy custard, and strongly flavored cheese for my flavors. It just seemed logical to add some deep umami by softening dried shiitake mushrooms * in simmering water, chopping them up, and scattering them in the filling. A little cayenne pepper for a slight kick of heat and I knew this was going to be good.
I always let my quiches cool for awhile before serving them. They’re equally delicious at room temperature, but I prefer them to be gently warm. I sprinkled a little paprika on top and added fresh chives.
There’s something about a well made quiche that I find both comforting and indulgent. The richness and elegance are self evident, but the actual ingredients are simple and straightforward. The creamy soft filling should never feel heavy or oily (which can happen if you over bake it and the custard breaks). By following my directions you’ll never have to worry about anything less than a perfectly baked quiche. I always serve it with a simple green salad, in order to cut through some of the richness, and it’s one of those meals that always feels a little special.
That may be one of the reasons it was the first thing that came to mind when our weather cooled off and I was in the mood for celebrating the beginning of the golden days of autumn and the end of summer’s heat. All I can tell you is that it was a very good choice.
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Mushroom Cheddar Quiche with Pecan Crust
6-8
servingsRehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms plus aged English cheddar cheese are only part of the reason this quiche is so great. Crème fraîche and heavy cream go into the custard, which guarantees a beautiful creamy texture. Then all of it is baked in a crust which contains ground toasted pecans. How can this not be delicious?!
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Ingredients
60 grams toasted pecan pieces
15 tablespoons (212g) salted butter - cut into cubes and chilled
250 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons ice water
16 grams (1/2 cup) dried shiitake mushrooms *
227 grams (8 ounces) aged English cheddar cheese, cut into half inch cubes
2/3 cup crème fraîche, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Black pepper
Fresh chives
Paprika
Directions
- Place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until finely ground, but don’t go too far or else you’ll end up with pecan butter and that is not what you want. Add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until the pieces of butter are the size of peas. All food processors are different, so I can’t tell you exactly how many pulses this will take. Just watch it closely as it will happen quickly. Add the ice water and pulse until the dough just starts coming together in small clumps. Dump the contents onto a clean work surface and using a bench scraper, gather the dough into a mound, and gently knead it until it becomes cohesive. Shape into a 5 inch disc, cover in plastic wrap and chill overnight - or at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425° with a rack in the center. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes in order to soften up a little. Generously flour your work surface and roll the dough out to an approximately 15 inch circle. Ease into a 9 3/4 inches x 2 inches deep quiche tin * and lightly press it up against the sides. Using a rolling pin, roll it over the top edge of the pan, in effect slicing off the dough overhang. This should give you a perfect edge for your crust. Once again, lightly press the edges to be sure they are adhering to the sides of the pan. Place in the freezer for 20 - 30 minutes, until it is solidly hard. Line the crust with foil or parchment and fill with pie weights. I use heavy duty foil because it is large enough to cover the edges of the crust. Bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and weights. Put the crust back in the oven for 10 minutes. If the bottom of the crust should start puffing up, poke it with a fork, but I try to not do it more than absolutely necessary because I don’t want any holes in the crust in which the liquid could seep out. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack to room temperature. Decrease the oven temperature to 350°.
- Add the dried mushrooms * to a small pot of simmering water and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Remove the mushrooms from the liquid, drain, cut off the tough stems, and discard them. Finely chop the remaining mushrooms. Set aside.
- When the crust has completely cooled, scatter the pieces of cheese and mushrooms evenly over the bottom. In a medium bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, heavy cream, eggs, salt, cayenne pepper, and several grinds of black pepper. Pour it over the cheese and mushrooms. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until the center is just barely set and still jiggles. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Remove the quiche from the tin if your pan has a removable bottom. Garnish with the chives and a light sprinkle of paprika, serve, and Enjoy!
Orange and Olive Salad with Black Cumin
4
servingsSliced assorted oranges come alive when paired with crushed black cumin seeds, calamansi vinegar, oil cured olives, a few mint leaves, and good olive oil. It's a perfect salad.
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Ingredients
1 teaspoon wild black cumin seeds *
5 assorted oranges, peel cut off, and sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
2 clementines, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
12 - 15 oil cured olives
2 teaspoons calamansi vinegar or lemon juice
Kosher salt
Black pepper, coarsely ground
2 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh mint leaves
Directions
- Toast the black cumin seeds in a hot skillet for about 30 seconds. They will be very aromatic. Let cool. Roughly crush in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Arrange the slice oranges on a platter, sprinkle with the calamansi vinegar, crushed cumin seeds, a large pinch of kosher salt, and black pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil, add the olives and a few fresh mint leaves. Serve and Enjoy!