Making quiches and les tartes salées (savory/salted tartes) is a requirement in any French kitchen. They are quick easy family meals or delightful appetizers for an apéro. Although you can buy pre-made crusts (found in the refrigerated, not frozen, section), sometimes a homemade crust makes all the difference. So, before we get started, here's a recipe for a pâte brisée. A friend of mine, Chef DQ Flambé, has provided a stellar recipe, perfect
for sweet or savory dishes.
Pâte Brisée
Yield: 1 pie or tart crust
Prep time: 15 minutes (plus 1 hour of rest time)
Cook time: 20 minutes, plus 30 more for the actual quiche
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus extra
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg
3 tablespoons ice-cold water
Baking weights
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
Add salt and sugar. Mix
well. Add butter ,and use your fingertips to mix it quickly into fine sandlike
crumbs.
Fold the egg into the mixture until smoothly mixed.
Add the water and
mix the combination for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticky and moist, add one
tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a
ball with your hands and flatten into a disk.
Wrap in plastic wrap, and place
in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll the dough out into
a circle, about ⅛ inches thick, on a floured work surface.
Poke the
dough with a fork a few times to aerate.
Cover the crust with parchment paper, then
place the baking weights on the parchment paper. (A friend of mine, Oksana, uses
garden rocks for weights!) Bake for 20 minutes. Let the beads cool before
removing from the crust.
Finally, fill the crust with quiche. See below for two of my suggestions!
Quiche Lorraine
1 homemade pâte brisée or premade
piecrust from the refrigerated (not frozen) section
½ cup milk
½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
3 eggs
¼ cup cheese, emmental or swiss, grated
1½ slices thick deli ham, cut into strips
¼ cup lardons or pancetta
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pinch grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a bowl
combine the milk, crème fraîche, and eggs, whisking
until creamy. Mix in the cheese. Pour the mixture into your piecrust, swirling
the dish until coated. Set a burner on your oven to medium high. In a pan, cook
the lardons or pancetta until golden. Add the ham and lardons
to the egg mixture, distributing evenly. Season with herbes
de Provence, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Zucchini and Leek Quiche
1 homemade pâte brisée or premade piecrust from the refrigerated (not frozen) section
1 zucchini, sliced
2 leeks, sliced
½ cup milk
½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
3 eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard*
¼ cup cheese, emmental or swiss, grated
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pinch grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a bowl combine the milk, crème fraîche, mustard, and eggs, whisking until creamy. Mix in the cheese. Place the sliced vegetables into your piecrust. Pour the mixture over your vegetables, swirling the dish until coated. Season with herbes de Provence, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
*Vegetable quiches always use a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to balance out the flavor.
Bon app! And bisous!
