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Saturday, November 3, 2012

Quiche with a Homemade Buttery Crust


I remember that my mom used to the best quiches for dinner. Nobody's quiche could ever compare to hers! When I threw Carrie's shower back in October, I did a brunch theme. I thought homemade quiche would be great to have on the menu. I had never made quiche, so I asked my mom to send me her favorite quiche recipe. I made a couple of quiches with bacon and one without bacon for the shower. The quiches were really good - the crust buttery, the filling creamy, and every bite melted in the mouth!

I had some eggs that needed to be used, so I decided to make another quiche for dinner last week. This time I just made the quiche without the bacon.  One nice thing about the quiches is that the crust can be made ahead of time. When I threw Carrie's shower, I made all of the crusts the night before and tightly covered them in foil and left at room temperature. It saved a lot of time! I'm glad I tried out the quiche recipe, and I know it will be a meal I make often. Enjoy!

Recipe for Quiche with a Homemade Buttery Crust

INGREDIENTS:
For the crust
1 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
1 stick of well-chilled unsalted butter, cut into several pieces
2 - 3 Tbsp. of ice cold water
For the filling
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks (I love this gadget to separate the yolk)
2/3 cup of heavy cream
2/3 cup of whole milk
1/4 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of ground black pepper
a pinch or two of ground nutmeg
1 cup of grated swiss cheese
4 ounces of cooked bacon, cut into small pieces (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
For the crust
Place the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a couple times to combine. Add in the pieces of butter to the bowl. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With the food processor running, slowly pour 1 tablespoon of the water through the feed tube. Add in 1 more tablespoon of water. If the dough does not leave the sides of the bowl after several seconds, add in the remaining tablespoon of water. Once dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms into a ball, turn the processor off. Carefully remove the ball of dough, slightly flatten it into a disc, and cover it in saran wrap. Place in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Remove the dough from the fridge. Press the dough into the bottom and up onto the sides of a 9.5-inch pie plate. Place the dough back in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Fit a piece of parchment paper into the pie plate to cover the dough on the bottom and the sides. Fill the pie plate with pie weights or dried beans. Place the pie plate into the preheated oven and cook for about 13 minutes. After 13 minutes, carefully remove the pie plate from the oven. Then carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights/beans. Place the pie plate back into the oven and cook for another 8 - 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. While it is cooling, make the filling. 

For the filling
Place the eggs, egg yolks, cream, and milk into a medium-sized bowl. Use a fork or whisk to beat well. Add in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and mix it in. Stir in the cheese. 

For assembling
If using the bacon, arrange it in a single layer on the bottom of the slightly cooled pie crust. Pour the egg, cream, and cheese mixture into the crust. (If not using bacon, just pour the egg mixture into the pie crust). Place back into the oven and cook for about 35 - 40 minutes, or until golden in color. The quiche will still wiggle a little in the middle - you can check doneness by inserting the edge of a butter knife into the middle of the quiche, if it comes out clean the quiche is done. Remove from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Makes 8 one-piece servings.