During the hot summer months, it is difficult to find a dish that is both light, easy to prepare and satisfying. A quiche fits the bill for ease in preparation, lightness, versatility and satisfaction. A quiche can allow for your creativity to blossom as well as being a great way to use up your leftover meats and vegetables.
Do you remember the book “Real Men Don't Eat Quiche?” Because of its primarily vegetarian ingredients, it was considered a somehow “unmanly” dish. Well those days are over. It's time to let go of the old prejudice and start thinking of this as a versatile dish for everyone.
We all think of a quiche as a French dish. Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, quiche actually originated in Germany. The word quiche is from the German kuchen, meaning cake.
The original quiche Lorraine was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added. Add onions and you have quiche Alsacienne. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust.
Quiche became popular in England sometime after the Second World War and in the United States during the 1950s. Today, many varieties, from the original quiche Lorraine, to ones with broccoli, mushrooms, ham and seafood can be found.
Quiches are made from a combination of eggs, liquid and cheese baked in pastry shell. As long as you beat the egg mixture well, cook the fillings before adding them to the pie and follow the baking times and temperatures carefully, you will have success.
First of all, the pie crust must be tender and flaky. The filling must have some kind of structure so the pie will hold together when sliced. In spinach quiche, a white sauce is made and stirred into a combination of sour cream and eggs for the filling. In wild rice quiche, sour cream and eggs are beaten together for the filling. As the eggs cook, they set, forming custard. Any quiche recipe using the basic proportions of about a cup of dairy product or sauce with three to four eggs will work.
You can fill your quiches with just about anything. In a quiche, leftover shrimp, cooked chicken, ham, cooked vegetables and especially bits of cheese transform into a dish worthy of company.
Quiche recipes call for blind baked pastry shells. Blind baking refers to baking an unfilled pie or tart shell to produce a partially or fully baked crust. It is done when making cream pies or tarts if a filling is particularly moist or where precooked fillings are part of the recipe. However, it's necessary to weigh the crust down as it bakes, so it doesn't bubble up; you can do this in a variety of ways. It is done by lining the dough with parchment paper or foil and filling it with pie weights or dried beans to hold its shape during baking. Another option is to set a perforated pie pan into the crust.
These shells can be purchased. If you bake your own here are some great tips.
€ About 5 minutes before the shell is finished baking, remove it from the oven and brush the bottom with a little beaten egg white. Return it to the oven for the remaining 5 minutes. The egg white helps seal the bottom of the crust, making it “moisture-proof.” It will also help it keep its cruchiness.
€ Fill the shell only 3/4 full to allow room for the filling to puff up.
€ The shell and filling can be prepared ahead.
This is the perfect summer supper, combined with fresh fruit and a salad. It makes great leftovers too. I have included two recipes one for the classic quiche Lorraine and a more modern approach that is quite delicious. Enjoy.
This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net
Quiche Lorraine
6 to 8 pieces thick-sliced bacon
An 8-inch partially cooked pastry shell placed on a buttered baking sheet
3 large eggs
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper and nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice bacon into 1/4-inch pieces and brown lightly in a frying pan; drain and spread in bottom of pastry shell. Beat eggs, cream and seasonings in a bowl to blend. Just before baking, pour cream mixture into the shell, filling to within 1/8 inch of the top. Cut butter into bits and distribute over the cream. Bake in upper third of oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until quiche has puffed and browned and a small knife, plunged into custard, comes out clean. Serve hot, warm or cold; quiche will sink slightly as it cools.
Portobello Mushroom Quiche, flavored with Tarragon
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 blind baked 10-inch crust
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 pound small portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh tarragon
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
3 extra-large eggs, beaten
For the topping:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Saute until they are soft. Add the mushrooms, lemon juice, salt and pepper and saute for an additional 5 minutes. The mushrooms should be soft and the liquid evaporated. Stir in the tarragon. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Wipe out the skillet. Make the topping while the mushrooms cool: Melt the butter for the topping in the skillet and add the bread crumbs, garlic, lemon zest and parsley. Turn the heat to high and saute until the bread crumbs start to crisp. Don't allow them to color too much. Transfer the topping to a bowl. Beat the mascarpone cheese and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir the mushroom mixture into the cheese and mix well. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Sprinkle on the topping and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cut into slices and serve warm.
We all think of a quiche as a French dish. Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, quiche actually originated in Germany. The word quiche is from the German kuchen, meaning cake.
The original quiche Lorraine was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added. Add onions and you have quiche Alsacienne. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust.
Quiche became popular in England sometime after the Second World War and in the United States during the 1950s. Today, many varieties, from the original quiche Lorraine, to ones with broccoli, mushrooms, ham and seafood can be found.
Quiches are made from a combination of eggs, liquid and cheese baked in pastry shell. As long as you beat the egg mixture well, cook the fillings before adding them to the pie and follow the baking times and temperatures carefully, you will have success.
First of all, the pie crust must be tender and flaky. The filling must have some kind of structure so the pie will hold together when sliced. In spinach quiche, a white sauce is made and stirred into a combination of sour cream and eggs for the filling. In wild rice quiche, sour cream and eggs are beaten together for the filling. As the eggs cook, they set, forming custard. Any quiche recipe using the basic proportions of about a cup of dairy product or sauce with three to four eggs will work.
You can fill your quiches with just about anything. In a quiche, leftover shrimp, cooked chicken, ham, cooked vegetables and especially bits of cheese transform into a dish worthy of company.
Quiche recipes call for blind baked pastry shells. Blind baking refers to baking an unfilled pie or tart shell to produce a partially or fully baked crust. It is done when making cream pies or tarts if a filling is particularly moist or where precooked fillings are part of the recipe. However, it's necessary to weigh the crust down as it bakes, so it doesn't bubble up; you can do this in a variety of ways. It is done by lining the dough with parchment paper or foil and filling it with pie weights or dried beans to hold its shape during baking. Another option is to set a perforated pie pan into the crust.
These shells can be purchased. If you bake your own here are some great tips.
€ About 5 minutes before the shell is finished baking, remove it from the oven and brush the bottom with a little beaten egg white. Return it to the oven for the remaining 5 minutes. The egg white helps seal the bottom of the crust, making it “moisture-proof.” It will also help it keep its cruchiness.
€ Fill the shell only 3/4 full to allow room for the filling to puff up.
€ The shell and filling can be prepared ahead.
This is the perfect summer supper, combined with fresh fruit and a salad. It makes great leftovers too. I have included two recipes one for the classic quiche Lorraine and a more modern approach that is quite delicious. Enjoy.
This column has been a collaborative effort between Auburn natives chef Max Hitchcock and his mother, Susan Silverman. They can be reached at Birdscapes@adelphia.net
Quiche Lorraine
6 to 8 pieces thick-sliced bacon
An 8-inch partially cooked pastry shell placed on a buttered baking sheet
3 large eggs
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper and nutmeg
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice bacon into 1/4-inch pieces and brown lightly in a frying pan; drain and spread in bottom of pastry shell. Beat eggs, cream and seasonings in a bowl to blend. Just before baking, pour cream mixture into the shell, filling to within 1/8 inch of the top. Cut butter into bits and distribute over the cream. Bake in upper third of oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until quiche has puffed and browned and a small knife, plunged into custard, comes out clean. Serve hot, warm or cold; quiche will sink slightly as it cools.
Portobello Mushroom Quiche, flavored with Tarragon
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 blind baked 10-inch crust
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 pound small portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh tarragon
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
3 extra-large eggs, beaten
For the topping:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Saute until they are soft. Add the mushrooms, lemon juice, salt and pepper and saute for an additional 5 minutes. The mushrooms should be soft and the liquid evaporated. Stir in the tarragon. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Wipe out the skillet. Make the topping while the mushrooms cool: Melt the butter for the topping in the skillet and add the bread crumbs, garlic, lemon zest and parsley. Turn the heat to high and saute until the bread crumbs start to crisp. Don't allow them to color too much. Transfer the topping to a bowl. Beat the mascarpone cheese and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir the mushroom mixture into the cheese and mix well. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Sprinkle on the topping and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cut into slices and serve warm.
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