Quiche

[andiesenji]

I love quiche and have been making it for many, many years, long before it became "trendy" and long before it appeared on neighborhood restaurant menus.

I think my quiche are pretty good, but the best I have ever tasted and would love to be able to duplicate, are served at the Hotel Del Coranado in San Diego. Coming in as a close second are the quiche served at the Ritz-Carleton in Laguna Nigel at their wonderful brunch on Saturday and Sunday. They are light, almost like a soufflé in texture and the crust is always crisp, never soggy.

I have shamelessly begged for the recipe/technique but never get anything more than a smile and shake of the head.

Someday..............

[robyn]

Robyn-

Michael's jumping point was the quiche he had at Bouchon. I think that he was talking about quiches served in restaurants made by chefs. Or even by a homecook who follows the traditional methods. "Properly" may not be such a populist word, but there are techniques that make a dish better, superior. Using Mrs' Smiths frozen pie crust isn't one of them, that's a convenience item. If you and your family enjoy it the way you make it I don't think any of us here would question your tastes.  I think that Michael (at least I was) talking about quiche in a different context.

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He was talking about instigating a renaissance of quiche. And I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that covered a lot of home cooks (as opposed to a few high end restaurants or artisan home cooks).

I think I know what's good - better - best. And just because you can't always make/eat the best of something doesn't mean you shouldn't have it at all. Russ Parsons' message above has already stated the point most eloquently. Robyn

[chefzadi]

Robyn-

Michael's jumping point was the quiche he had at Bouchon. I think that he was talking about quiches served in restaurants made by chefs. Or even by a homecook who follows the traditional methods. "Properly" may not be such a populist word, but there are techniques that make a dish better, superior. Using Mrs' Smiths frozen pie crust isn't one of them, that's a convenience item. If you and your family enjoy it the way you make it I don't think any of us here would question your tastes.  I think that Michael (at least I was) talking about quiche in a different context.

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He was talking about instigating a renaissance of quiche. And I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that covered a lot of home cooks (as opposed to a few high end restaurants or artisan home cooks).

I think I know what's good - better - best. And just because you can't always make/eat the best of something doesn't mean you shouldn't have it at all. Russ Parsons' message above has already stated the point most eloquently. Robyn

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I don't see how your point counters my point. Maybe Russ said it more "eloquently". English is not my first language so I'm not smooth with it. You make it the way you want, to suit your tastes.

[snowangel]

Quiche (or it's frittata sorta cousin) are frequent visitors in our house.

First off, they can accommodate a variety of ingredients (although I am partial to the Lorraine). Whatever, whenever.

Second, they are kind to those who, like Heidi, have trouble masticating and eating.

Third, eggs are a kind food. When I was horribly morning, noon, evening and middle of the night sick (morning sickness?) with Heidi, eggs were a good thing. Quiche was a good way to stash other stuff into the diet. Same goes for Heidi and many other people with "eating disabilities" nowadays.

I make my own crusts, but back when I worked outside the home and had too many things going on, a frozen crust was better than nothing. Was a frozen crust better than what I make? No. Was it better than some of the other things I could have come up with on that night, yes.

Quiche also has one of those benefits of being good cold, at room, or gently reheated in the nuker on defrost mode. It holds well.

We frittata'd tonight, although I would have called it more of a crustless quiche, since once the skillet was warm, I stuck it into the oven and went over Peter's spelling list with him.

Better make a proper quiche soon.

[Michael Ruhlman]

Robyn,

By all means, make custard in pie shell. Nothing worse than a foodie snob making someone feel bad about the way they cook. Russ's comment is perfectly put.

The problem with a pie shell is that the custard is too shallow to cook properly and still maintain a crisp crust. I don't care who cooks it in a ring mold but i hope people learn to make the distinction between the two. What concerns me is that the custard in a pie shell became the standard. But then its becoming a pervasive American habit: to make mediocrity the standard.

That said, I have to add that for a country that so often baffles me, an egg pie generating so much discussion—well, every now and then a misanthrope finds reason to be genuinely hopeful about humanity.

M

[Lesley C]

Regarding step #8 of the recipe, I was taught a great little trick by a French pastry chef to waterproof the shell.

Dock the base of the raw shell (this will prevent it from puffing up when it goes back into the oven), then, after removing the parchment and weights, pour in a few tablespoons of the quiche custard into the shell and spread it to the edges, blocking the holes. Then return the crust to the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the shell to cool.

French pastry chef Christine Ferber also docks the dough, then brushes the base of her dough with a beaten egg before finishing the blind baking.

Another trick for baking is to watch the custard at the end of the baking time. If it even begins to puff around the edges, remove it immediately from the oven. Quiche makers should think of the custard in the same light as a creme caramel. It can still quiver slightly in the middle when it's done because it will set up as it cools.

[andiesenji]

I have to confess that I often do not make my own crust for quiche.

However I don't use the prepared frozen ones either.

I always have frozen phyllo(filo) in the freezer and I use about 10 layers of this, with melted butter (those new silicone brushes are great for this), brushed on each leaf.

Sometimes I sprinkle finely ground dried leek or chives between a couple of the layers for a bit of delicate flavor.

I just drape the stuff over the tart ring and after I pour in the filling, and make sure it is filled to the outer edges, I roll a wooden pin over the thing to cut the edges.

= no soggy crust.

[chefzadi]

I'm seeing more and more of these thicker than traditional quiches. In fact my professional cooking students are taught to make them this way. The longer cooking time required for a thicker quiche often results in an over cooked top crust. Even in the LA Times article the photos of the quiches the top looks overcooked, too brown and consequently tough. When I eat such quiches I find myself cutting away the top layer. I suggest to avoid this the quiche be loosely covered with foil during part of the cooking process.

[robyn]

Robyn,

By all means, make custard in pie shell.  Nothing worse than a foodie snob making someone feel bad about the way they cook.  Russ's comment is perfectly put.

The problem with a pie shell I don't care who cooks it in a ring mold but i hope people learn to make the distinction between the two.  What concerns me is that the custard in a pie shell became the standard. But then its becoming a pervasive American habit: to make mediocrity the standard.

That said, I have to add that for a country that so often baffles me, an egg pie generating so much discussion—well, every now and then a misanthrope finds reason to be genuinely hopeful about humanity.

M

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No one can make me feel bad about my cooking. I eat at enough fine restaurants to know that I'm far from a world class chef - and at enough lousy restaurants to know that I'm not half bad . Moreover - my husband and I don't define who we were are by our cooking. It's simply a way to put a decent meal on the table when we don't feel like going out - or when we'd like to have some people over. IOW - we're in the middle - between the home delivery pizza crowd - and the artisan home cooks. Probably like a lot of people here. And I doubt after 35 years of marriage that we're going to change. Still - if I can say something here that might induce someone to try something at home that they're afraid to try because doing it all from scratch seems too hard - I will.

Along those lines - I suspect you read Mark Bittman's column in the NYT this week about using frozen veggies for cooking. It was a great column. Because it's easier to keep bags of frozen veggies in the freezer and whip stuff up at the last minute than it is to run to the grocery store at 7:00 pm because you need to find some fresh peas. I in fact not only have a great recipe for spring pea soup from frozen peas - but it calls for all the bits of leftovers (you can mix the bag ends from English peas - snap peas - snow pea pods - whatever). If I ever find Bittman's email address - I'll send it to him.

Anyway - enough philosophy - I'm not sure what you mean when you say that the problem with a pie crust is that "the custard is too shallow to cook properly and still maintain a crisp crust." Are you talking about a crisp crust on the pasty - or the custard? I assume the pastry - but I'm not sure.

With regard to the ring mold - people here have said that it's 2". Do you fill it all the way to the top? I measured the Mrs. Smith's pie crust filled to the top (which I do) - it's a bit over 1 5/8". Like I said - my instructions (passed down from a friend) call for partially pre-baking the pie crust before putting the custard in. I use frozen pie crusts for several things - including pies - and all the recipes I have call for anything from no baking to complete baking of the crust before putting the filling in (different fillings have different cooking times - but you always want the crust to be as nicely done as possible).

As long as we're talking about crust - what does everyone here do with the cheese? I buy blocks of cheese and put cubes in the food processor and grind them up with the metal blade until they're like little pebbles. If there are 20 people here following this thread - I'm sure you do it 20 different ways. How do you do it? Robyn

[chefzadi]

In France typically grated gruyère and pate brisee crust. With just a little practice it takes 5 minutes to make pate brisee and just a few more minutes to roll it out. Pate brisee freezes well.

[Bux]

My own feeling on what to do when one can't or don't feel like making a proper crust is to just make a Spanish tortilla. It's also not unreasonable to bake a savory custard without a crust. It can be unmolded or just eaten out of the mold in which it's cooked most of the time.

[andiesenji]

I'm seeing more and more of these thicker than traditional quiches. In fact my professional cooking students are taught to make them this way. The longer cooking time required for a thicker quiche often results in an over cooked top crust. Even in the LA Times article the photos of the quiches the top looks overcooked, too brown and consequently tough. When I eat such quiches I find myself cutting away the top layer. I suggest to avoid this the quiche be loosely covered with foil during part of the cooking process.

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I have a little secret.

I cut a piece of parchment the size of the top of the quiche, butter it liberally and gently apply it to the top of quiche about half way through the baking.

It allows the top to get a bit of color but keeps it tender.

[KatieLoeb]

I will "paint" the inside of a deep dish store bought crust with a light coating of Dijon mustard before filling it, and that seems to keep the crust from getting too soggy. Jazzes up a ham, spinach and cheese-of-your-choosing quiche pretty well too.

I'm also quite fond of an apple, carmelized onion and Roquefort quiche from time to time.

All quiche custard needs a grating of fresh nutmeg too.

[emmapeel]

In France typically grated gruyère and pate brisee crust. With just a little practice it takes 5 minutes to make pate brisee and just a few more minutes to roll it out. Pate brisee freezes well.

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First, Yes I love Quiche! I also never realized they were untrendy because I consider them a staple.

Second, Once I was in Avignon, and stopped by a restaurant and ordered the quiche, it was Leek. I wasn't expecting to have the taste sensation of a lifetime. It was light as a souffle, and the cheese and custard were one and the same, the crust was crisp. I cannot tell you how often I think about how wonderful it was.

Third, In my neighborhood, (Manhattan) there is a bakery called Silver Moon, and they make four quiches; but their leek and onion, is almost like the one I had in France. They are individual, and baked in tart pans. If you can go the the Silver Moon Bakery, call first, because they sell out quickly.

[Jason Perlow]

Today we decided to make a patriotic "Freedom Tart". Here it is just before going into the oven. It has caramelized onions (onion CONFIT for those of you Frenchy lovin' Communists), a cheap end-cut of smoked chopped up Virginia ham (thats them Amurikun kind of ham, not that Jambon crap from France), some overcooked leftover Broccoli -- the favorite vegetable of our current president's dad, and domestic Cheddar and Swiss cheeses from the local supermarket. And to add insult to injury, we used good-old-Amurikun Phyllo dough (brushed with an assload of butter) instead of that damn French pastry crust stuff.

"fully baked" shot to follow.

[chefzadi]

I'm a little dissapointed that you didn't use processed American cheese.

[rjwong]

"fully baked" shot to follow.

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Jason, you are going to decorate this "Freedom Tart" with an Amurikun flag, aren't you?

Happy Presidents' Day!!

[NVNVGirl]

In France typically grated gruyère and pate brisee crust. With just a little practice it takes 5 minutes to make pate brisee and just a few more minutes to roll it out. Pate brisee freezes well.

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I love quiche, make it often and in many different recipes. I make my own pastry...chefzadi is right. It's so simple and takes only a few minutes. I have to admit to lately using the food processor to mix the dough, then I roll it out. I usually make enough for 2 crusts at a time, freezing the second one between sheets of waxed paper and plastic wrap (rolled out) in a large pizza box.

I will have to try Bouchon's method. I don't mind experimenting for something special

Funny I run across this thread; I was lying in bed early this morning, listening to the rain and thinking "Quiche and a salad sounds like a wonderful dinner tonight".

[Jason Perlow]

Fully baked:

[Jason Perlow]

Finally, slice view:

And yes, it tasted as good as it looks. There will definitely be more Freedom Tarts baked in this household soon.

[NulloModo]

That looks lovely Jason.

Also worth noting is Quiche can be very good without any crust at all, which is how I make mine. Not sure if that still makes it a quiche, maybe it is then an oven frittata or something, but it is still tasty.

[Bux]

That looks lovely Jason.

Also worth noting is Quiche can be very good without any crust at all, which is how I make mine.  Not sure if that still makes it a quiche, maybe it is then an oven frittata or something, but it is still tasty.

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Or a savory custard. A savory custard in a pastry crust is a quiche. Unless of course, apple sauce is just apple pie without the crust.

My own feeling on what to do when one can't or don't feel like making a proper crust is to just make a Spanish tortilla. It's also not unreasonable to bake a savory custard without a crust. It can be unmolded or just eaten out of the mold in which it's cooked most of the time.

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[Rehovot]

Could someone share his/her recipe for one of these fabled quick pate brisee crusts, please? How about some alternate instructions for someone who doesn't have a food processor, blender, etc.? (And for someone who's pretty bad at cutting butter into flour.) Thanks.....

Edited to add manners.

Edited February 22, 2005 by Rehovot (log)

[chefzadi]

Ingredients for Pate Brisee:

1 cup AP flour

6 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter (cut into small pieces if kneading dough by hand)

2 tablespoons of ice water ( a tiny bit more water may be needed, depending on the flour)

1/4 tsp of salt

Method:

Combine all the ingredients except the water in a bowl, quickly incorporate the butter untill the consistency of the dough resembles coarse meal. Don't overwook the butter into the dough. Add the water and and gather the dough into a ball. (The trick or "truc" is to stop working the dough at the coarse meal stage, if you go beyond this the crust will be heavy, hard and greasy.) Wrap with plastic and chill in the frigo for at least an hour before rolling out.

This is so quick to do that at home I always do it by hand. It's not even worth dragging out the food processor. It's also good to learn how to "feel" dough.

[Rehovot]

Ingredients for Pate Brisee

Thanks, chefzadi! Is this for a 9 inch crust? (Don't really know what the standard size is, and I use an oversized tin, anyway......)

Must...make...quiche!