People think quiche is all about the mix-ins, but they’re wrong. This quiche recipe post puts the focus where it belongs: on the eggs and dairy, which is custard by any other name.
Breakfast quiche is really all about the custard, and this quiche recipe is spectacular. Whether you like your quiche eggy or more creamy, this quiche filling strikes a great balance between the two.
While you’ll find this quiche listed under custards, too, its main category is breakfast recipes. I hope you eat it whenever you feel like it, though!
Watch my best quiche recipe web story here.
Quiche Recipe, At a Glance
✔️Skill Level: Beginner
✔️Skills: Using a blender, caramelizing onions, baking
✔️Type: Savory Custard
✔️Number of Ingredients: 7, for the custard. 6 more for the mix-ins
✔️Prep Time: 10 minutes, not including caramelizing the onions
✔️Cook Time: 1 hr
✔️Yield: 1 deep-dish quiche, serving 8
Related Posts: How to Make Creme Fraiche, How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
Jump Straight to the Recipe
What Sets This Quiche Recipe Apart?
As I said in the introduction, this quiche recipe is really all about the custard.
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In this case, I use creme fraiche for the majority of the dairy. That makes this a very rich quiche, but it also has a little tang to it that keeps it from feeling super heavy.
The custard is based on Thomas Keller’s quiche recipe, which I used to make at the restaurant for brunch service.
We always hoped there’d be a piece or two left over so we could eat it.
And when the folks who make and serve this stuff all the time also want to eat it and aren’t tired of it, you know it’s good.
Another great thing about this custard is that you make it in the blender. That means it’s super smooth and creamy and also your mix-ins are much more likely to stay suspended in the custard rather than sinking to the bottom of your quiche.
See how creamy and how the toppings are all suspended in the custard and not just all stuck down in the bottom half of the quiche? Perfect!
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How to Line Your Deep Dish Tart Pan
Make some pate brisee.
Roll it into a circle-esque shape big enough to line and go up the sides and hang over the edge of a 9″ springform pan. This means you need a Big Big Circle, probably about 15″-16″.
Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use a piece of dough to help push the crust into the corners. Remember not to pull the dough to get it to fit. Always push it.
Fold the excess dough over the edges of the pan all around.
Some parts will hang down more than other parts.
Don’t worry about it–this dough flap is an anchor to keep your dough from sliding down the vertical surface of the pan.
Once your dough is All In, make sure there are no cracks. Patch them with some extra dough.
Freeze the shell for about half an hour, then line the tart shell with some crumpled-then-uncrumpled parchment paper, heavy-duty plastic wrap, or an extra large coffee filter and fill up with some dried beans or sugar.
Bake at 375F until the edges are browned–about 35 minutes or so.
Remove the pie weights and parchment and check for cracks again. Patch as necessary, brush the inside of the crust with some egg wash, prick the crust all over the bottom and sides with the tip of a knife (docking), and continue baking for another 20 minutes or so, or until the bottom is lightly golden.
If the outside edges are getting too brown, don’t worry–you’ll be cutting those off anyway.
How To Make the Custard for Quiche
Once you have a parbaked crust, it’s time to make your delicious savory custard.
Remember, you can use whatever “mix-ins” or fillings you like, but the custard is really the defining characteristic of a great quiche.
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients
- creme fraiche: This makes up the bulk of the dairy in the custard. The lovely, subtle tang of creme fraiche keeps the quiche from feeling too heavy. You may substitute heavy cream or use additional half-and-half for a less-rich custard. You can also use half half and half and half sour cream if you’d like the tang without having to make creme fraiche
- half and half: This makes up roughly 1/3 of the dairy in the custard. You can use whole milk if you prefer. But in that case, do use all cream or creme fraiche above. You don’t want a thin custard that won’t be as creamy
- eggs: Five large eggs. The eggs provide the setting power, some flavor, emulsifiers, and they lend a lovely creamy pale yellow color to the custard
- egg yolks: One additional egg yolk ensures a rich and well-emulsified custard
- kosher salt: You need a fair amount of salt, especially if your mix-ins are less salty. I use 2 full teaspoons of Morton’s kosher salt. If you use Diamond kosher salt, you will probably need a bit more. If using fine salt, start with 1 teaspoon and go from there
- white pepper: You may use black pepper if that is all you have. I love the flavor and aroma of white pepper, so that’s what I use. Also, if you’re using a lot of pale fillings, you may not want a bunch of black specks in your quiche, so it’s completely your call
- nutmeg: Not necessary, strictly speaking, but it is traditional to add a bit of nutmeg. I especially like nutmeg if I’m using greens in my filling. In this case, one of my fillings was a lot of baby spinach, so nutmeg was quite welcome
Procedure
This is a seriously easy custard to make, friends.
Everything goes in your blender.
Whir it up until it is super smooth and frothy.
The End.
Unlike custards like creme brulee, you don’t need to worry about a water bath for baking, because the crust acts as an insulator to keep the custard nice and creamy even while in a 375F oven.
Adding the Toppings/Mix-Ins
The cool thing about this custard is that all the little bubbles from being in the blender suspend the fillings so you don’t end up with a quiche that is solid fillings on the bottom and custard on the top.
No, this quiche is a lovely blend of both in every single bite.
Bake your guy for anywhere from 1 hour to an hour and 15 minutes until it is deeply golden brown and barely jiggles in the center.
You’re looking for between 165F-170F in the center using an instant-read thermometer.
Once you bake your filled tart, use a serrated knife or even your bench knife to cut/break off the excess, overhanging crust.
Rules for Quiche “Mix-Ins” or Fillings
You can fill your quiche with whatever you’d like, although there are a few rules to follow to get the best results.
- Use any kind of good melting cheese but don’t go overboard. About a cup or 4 oz of any one cheese or a mixture of 2 is plenty.
- If adding crunchy vegetables, saute or roast them to get rid of most of their liquid before adding them to your quiche.
- Add pre-cooked meats, already cut up or in small pieces to make cutting your quiche easier.
- Season all your mix-in elements (okay, not cheese or cured meats) to make sure your quiche isn’t bland, especially if you are going heavy on the fillings.
Equipment You May Need
If you don’t have a 2″ deep dish tart pan, you can either get one, or you can make 2 quiches in “regular” pie pans.
I love this pan because it’s easy to use, easy to remove the sides (much easier than a springform pan) and because the presentation is nice and dramatic.
I also use this pan for my deep dish lemon meringue tart recipe.
Holds a gracious plenty of filling and makes for a dramatic presentation of a sweet or savory tart. Paderno is a trusted name, and my tart pan has worked beautifully for years.
What Happens if My Crust Leaks?
The good news is, the answer is not much, as long as your pan is non-stick.
What happens when you have one or two small holes is some of the custard will run out underneath the crust and may possibly even get pushed up the sides between the crust and the sides of the pan.
Fortunately, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You’ll end up with a quiche that looks like mine: with a pastry crust that goes all the way to the top and an “eggy crust” that goes about halfway up.
You can avoid this by patching exceedingly carefully before baking, but please know that if The Leak happens to you, it will be fine.
See?
If anyone questions you, tell them it’s a double crust quiche and to hush.
Quiche Q & A
This recipe is enough to fill one 9″ x 2″ deep dish tart pan of quiche. It will also work for an 8″ x 3″ springform pan or push pan. If you only have regular pie pans, you will be able to make two quiches.
Quiche is really best on the day it’s made, but you can keep it up to three days, covered, in the fridge. Reheat in a slow oven before serving. I wouldn’t recommend heating it in the microwave, because it could develop a rubbery texture.
You can freeze quiche, either before or after baking. But freezing it before you bake it will result in the best texture, and the crust will get nice and crisp. Carefully fill your par-baked crust, place the whole thing on a sheet tray, and freeze until solid. Then wrap it well in plastic and heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 4-6 weeks. Thaw in the fridge for at least 24 hours and then bake it just as you would a freshly made quiche. You may have to add just a few minutes to the baking time.
Serving Suggestions
I think quiche is great to eat just on its own. And especially if you put vegetables in yours, you can feel very righteous about not adding a side salad.
But, perhaps a side salad might be nice? Perhaps with a sherry lime vinaigrette?
Another light side dish that would go nicely is marinated Korean cucumber salad.
Generally anything with a bright/sharp element will help to offset the richness of the quiche.
Questions?
A Note About Measurements
Don't let its small price and small size fool you. The Escali Primo is an accurate and easy-to-use food scale that I have used for years. It's easy to store, easy to use, has a tare function, and easily switches between grams and ounces/pounds for accurate measurements.
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Quiche Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 blind-baked deep tart crust 9.5″ x 2″ deep
For the Custard
- 492 grams homemade creme fraiche, homemade or store-bought 17.4 oz, 1 pint, or 2 cups
- 283 grams half and half 10 oz or 1 1/4 cups
- 5 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt I use Morton’s
- several grindings of white pepper or black pepper, if that’s all you have
- several gratings fresh nutmeg
For the Caramelized Onions
- 2 large sweet onions
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
The Rest of the Fillings
- 2 large handfuls of baby spinach any thick stems removed
- 4 oz fresh chevre goat cheese in a “log”, crumbled
Instructions
For the Custard
- Put your deep dish tart pan on a half-sheet pan to catch any spills while it's baking.
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Place all the custard ingredients in the jar of your blender.
- Blend until smooth and frothy, about 30 seconds.
- Pour half into your par-baked crust.
- Add the caramelized onions (See Below), the spinach, and the crumbled goat cheese.
- Re-blend the remaining filling for about 15 seconds and then slowly and evenly pour that over your toppings. It should fill your crust almost to the top.
(NOTE: You will need to take a knife or a spatula and press down on the spinach so it sinks down under the filling. It may take a little doing, but you can do it) - Bake in the center of the oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. The top of your quiche should be a deep golden brown and it should barely wiggle in the center when it's done. You're looking for a final temperature of 165F-170F in the center.
- If the quiche is browning too quickly, tent it with foil for the last 20 minutes or so of baking.
- Allow the quiche to cool until warm before slicing and serving.
- Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days, and either bring to room temperature or re-heat in a slow oven to serve.
For the Caramelized Onions
- Peel and thinly slice the onions.
- Add the olive oil to a cold skillet. Then add the onions and sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper.
- Cook over medium-low heat until lightly caramelized and very soft, about 1 1/2 hours. You can take them darker if you want.
- Spread them out on a plate to cool to warm.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
Parbaking the Crust
- Line your tart pan, folding excess dough over the edges of the pan.
- Patch any thin spots or cracks with excess dough.
- Blind bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove weights and parchment lining, egg wash the inside of the crust, and dock with the tip of a sharp knife.
- Continue baking for another 20 minutes.
Adding Toppings
Making this quiche filling in the blender allows the toppings to distribute evenly in the custard rather than all sitting on the bottom of the quiche. Fill the crust halfway with the custard, add the fillings, and then finish by adding the rest of the custard. Use a knife or spatula to make sure everything is tucked inside the filling so it won’t burn.RULES FOR QUICHE “MIX-INS” OR FILLINGS
You can fill your quiche with whatever you’d like, although there are a few rules to follow to get the best results.- Use any kind of good melting cheese but don’t go overboard. About a cup or 4 oz of any one cheese or a mixture of 2 is plenty.
- If adding crunchy vegetables, saute or roast them to get rid of most of their liquid before adding them to your quiche.
- Add pre-cooked meats, already cut up or in small pieces to make cutting your quiche easier.
- Season all your mix-in elements (okay, not cheese or cured meats) to make sure your quiche isn’t bland, especially if you are going heavy on the fillings.
Quiche Q & A
How large a quiche will this custard recipe fill? This recipe is enough to fill one 9″ x 2″ deep dish tartpan of quiche. It will also work for a 8″ x 3″ springform pan or push pan. If you only have regular pie pans, you will be able to make two quiches. How long will leftover quiche keep? Quiche is really best on the day it’s made, but you can keep it up to three days, covered, in the fridge. Reheat in a slow oven before serving. I wouldn’t recommend heating it in the microwave, because it could develop a rubbery texture. Can you freeze quiche? You can, either before or after baking. But freezing it before you bake it will result in the best texture, and the crust will get nice and crisp. Carefully fill your par-baked crust, place the whole thing on a sheet tray and freeze until solid. Then wrap it well in plastic and heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 4-6 weeks. Thaw in the fridge for at least 24 hours and then bake it just as you would a freshly made quiche. You may have to add just a few minutes to the baking time.Nutrition
I really hope you enjoy the quiche friends! It is definitely a winner!
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Delicious! I cook a lot, but had never made pate brisee before and liked the technique. And my crust did not shrink! I used a 9 inch spring form pan.
Also I appreciate that the recipe gives true cooking times. Caramelized onions are delicious but they do take time. Many recipes say 20 minutes and that is not true. I made them the day before while doing other things in the kitchen.
I added some roasted red peppers because I had some open in the fridge. Leftovers heat well too.
Will be making this again with a variety of fillings.
I am thrilled that you love it and even more happy that you want to use the custard again with other fillings! We missed you at the Zoom, but I know I will see you around! Isn’t it magic when the crust doesn’t shrink?!
Thanks so much for the info on crème fraîche. I’ve always wanted to try and make it, but never had the nerve. This just might inspire me again. 🙂