Spring Vegetable Quiche with Bacon and Swiss Cheeses
We obviously all remember where we were and exactly what day and time it was when we had our first bite of quiche, right? No? Yeah, I guess I don’t remember mine either. I do, however, remember my first bite of truly great quiche. It was at Bouchon Bakery in Napa, about as quiche-y a place as ever there was and it was spectacular. By virtue of a springform pan, the buttery, flaky, crispy pastry is sculpted neatly around a silky custard, rich with cheese and cured pork, every texture of the texture rainbow on display. Quiche for Sunday brunch is a mild to moderate challenge for the average home cook - memorable quiche, on the other hand, is a prize not easily won. This vegetable quiche recipe is resultantly complicated, but sleep soundly tonight knowing that no matter how fussy a direction might seem, its sole purpose is the success of your quiche. Imagine if that was your sole purpose - you’d want to be taken seriously, wouldn’t you?
Caramelized Leeks and Bacon:
2 cups leeks, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. light olive oil
½ lb bacon, sliced into lardons (¼-1" strips)
black pepper, freshly ground
Blanched Asparagus:
2 cups (2" pieces) asparagus, chopped
Sautéed Vegetables:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups mushrooms, such as cremini and oyster, sliced
3 fresh thyme sprigs
sea salt
6 cups baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed in a garlic press
Custard:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups crème fraîche
10 large eggs
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped leaves
2 tsp. white pepper, freshly ground
½ tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
sea salt
Quiche Shell:
bread flour (285 g)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold, cubed
water, ice cold (80-110 g)
Assembly:
1 Quiche Shell, par-baked and cooled
2 sheets phyllo dough
4 oz Gruyère cheese, freshly grated
3 oz Emmental cheese, freshly grated
Make the Quiche Shell:
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Mix until well combined. Add the butter and mix at medium-low speed until the butter pieces are the size of blueberries. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add enough of the ice water to form a dough. (Note: To make by hand, whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and break the pieces into a similar size by rubbing them between your fingers.)
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and shape it into a disk. (Note, the dough can also be assembled without a stand mixer, it’s just harder, obviously: Add the cold butter to the flour in a large bowl and break up the butter with your hands or a pastry cutter until the flour is sandy and the butter pieces are the size of blueberries. Add the ice water and gently knead together by hand until all the flour is hydrated and the dough holds together.) Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour, up to overnight.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll out to about ¼" thick. Carefully transfer the dough to an 8" high-sided springform pan. Then, gently lift and press the dough into the sides of the pan. If the dough gets too soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes and then resume lining the pan. Make sure the excess dough hangs off the edges of the pan, this will prevent the dough from shrinking during the par-baking process. Once the pie dough is flush with the side of the pan, refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).
Using two pieces of parchment paper, line the dough in the springform pan. Fill the pan to the rim with sugar or dried beans.
Par-bake the quiche shell for 25 minutes. Remove the sugar and parchment paper, then continue to bake the shell for 10-15 minutes more, until the pastry looks dry and turns pale golden. (Note: Save all that sugar - it’s been toasted in the oven and has only been improved for future recipe usage.)
Trim off the excess crust using a sharp paring knife. Allow the quiche shell to cool completely before filling.
Make the Caramelized Leeks and Bacon:
Soak the leeks in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and reduce the heat to medium- low and cover with a lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are very tender, 15-20 minutes. Add ¼ cup water, cover and cook 3-5 minutes.
Uncover and cook until all the water is evaporated, 5-10 minutes. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Season with pepper, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Blanche the Asparagus:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender but still bright green, 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of ice water.
Using tongs or a spider, transfer the asparagus to the ice bath and let cool, then drain and set aside.
Make the Sautéed Vegetables:
Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium- high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme and ½ tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released all of their water and have browned, 7-8 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside; discard the thyme sprigs.
Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in the same skillet. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until completely wilted, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute. Season with salt, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3).
Make the Custard:
In a large bowl, combine the milk and crème fraîche. Whisk well to incorporate.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine 5 eggs and the flour. Mix at medium-low speed until a paste forms, 1-2 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining 5 eggs and the milk mixture. Mix at medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Then add the thyme, white pepper, nutmeg and 1½ Tbsp. salt. Mix on medium speed until the custard is light and frothy, 1-2 minutes.
To Assemble:
Line the quiche shell with an even layer of the phyllo dough. (This will help prevent a soggy bottom.) Sprinkle with some of each cheese, then top with an equal amount each of the caramelized leeks and bacon, blanched asparagus and sautéed vegetables. Add enough of the custard to cover the vegetables. Repeat this layering process with the remaining ingredients, reserving some cheese for topping, until the shell is just about full, stopping 3-4 millimeters from the top.
Sprinkle the quiche with the remaining cheese and bake for 1½-2 hours, until the edges are set but the center is still a bit jiggly and the internal temperature reaches 175°F.
Allow the quiche to cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving. Optionally, once the quiche has cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for up to 3 days before serving.
Makes 8-10 servings.
Troubleshooting:
- The quiche has a soggy bottom: First off, don’t beat yourself up. Quiche is far and away the liquidiest filling for any pie crust and managing to preserve a crunchy bottom is nothing short of a miracle. We recommend using a sheet or two of phyllo dough to insulate the crust from all the wet.
- The quiche custard cracked: This happens with quiches and pumpkin pies alike, both being custards and all. The answer to both problems is the custard cooling down too quickly after coming out of the oven. If it’s the dead of summer in N’awlins, you’re probably fine to just put it on the counter - if, however, it’s the coldest evening yet in Anchorage, you can more slowly cool the quiche by turning off the oven and wedging a wooden spoon into the door so that heat can escape.
- The crust shrunk: I think it’s appropriate that you went with an exclamation point. It’s often shocking to find that your perfect pie shell has become a shell of its former self. This is often attributed to dough that hasn’t been properly chilled - make sure you refrigerate at each stage for at least an hour, ideally overnight between mixing and shaping.
- The crust slipped: This can be a problem caused by using a glass pie dish, which can have a more difficult time gripping onto the pastry, but more likely you need to make sure the aluminum foil is pressed flush with the crust and it is filled all the way to the brim with beans or sugar. All that weight pressing down evenly on the pastry will keep it in place and once it’s partially baked and the weights have been removed, it can crisp up while keeping its shape.
- The quiche is dry-crumbly: Sounds like it was overbaked. Make sure you’re pulling it from the oven when it’s set around the edges but still wobbly in the center.
- The quiche sprung a leak: Your pastry might’ve been too thin or it might’ve gotten cracked after the par-baking process - either way, there’s no saving the crispness of your crust at this point. To save the custard, you can blast your quiche in a hot oven for 10 minutes to set the custard dripping out before dropping the temperature back down to quiche-appropriate levels to finish cooking.