If you've never made Quiche, you'll want to hang onto this guide. Here, you'll find the basics to making foolproof quiche every time, as well as a delicious Ham and Onion Quiche Recipe.
This guide will show you how to make a delicious, fluffy quiche no matter what ingredients you use!
What is Quiche?
Quiche, pronounced "kēsh," is a baked French tart that consists of savory ingredients including eggs, cheese, cream and meat or vegetables. It is most commonly served as a breakfast or brunch dish, but works great for dinner, too!
How to make foolproof quiche:
Making quiche is not hard at all, but if you're like me, you've found a million recipes and they all have varied amount of dairy and eggs, not to mention a myriad of different sized pie plates.
Here, we're getting to the basics of quiche making. Once you learn the secrets, your next egg custard will be perfect every time, no matter what you put in it!
What you'll need:
The basic ingredients for a really good quiche are: eggs, cream, cheese and something savory, like bacon, sausage, ham, mushrooms, onions, broccoli or seafood.
You can put just about anything you want in a quiche, but in order to make the fluffiest, most beautiful quiche, there are some things you should know.
Size of eggs:
Generally speaking, when a recipe calls for "eggs," it is referring to large eggs. Unless otherwise noted, use large brown or white eggs. Brown and white eggs taste the same.
Egg-to-Dairy ratio:
In culinary circles, the Golden Rule of Thumb is: 1 egg per every half-cup of dairy. You'll find most quiche recipes call for 3 eggs and 1½-cups of dairy.
Keep in mind "dairy" includes cream, heavy cream, milk, half-n-half, sour cream and creme fraiche. "Dairy" does not include the cheese.
So no matter what recipe you use, here is the secret to foolproof quiche!
Amount of protein/vegetables:
I recommend about a half-cup to three-quarters cup of diced meat or vegetables to any size quiche. You want the protein or vegetable to complement the creamy quiche--not be the star of the dish.
Amount of cheese:
The amount of cheese is a personal preference, however, most standard 9"-inch quiche recipes use at least 4-ounces of shredded cheese. Four ounces of shredded cheese produces one cup of cheese, and that's usually plenty to include in any size quiche.
Pan size:
The size and volume of the baking pan are important because you don't want to have the egg custard boil over, but you also don't want it to look puny...Before you begin, measure your baking pan. If you're not sure, The Baking Pan is an excellent resource.
Most recipes call for a 9" or 10" pie pan. A 9"-inch pie plate has a total volume of 4 cups. A 10"-inch pie pan has a volume of 6½cups.
A 9½" X 2" inch Deep Dish Pyrex Pie pan has a volume of 7 cups. You can see how the ingredients for a 9"-inch pan would not be enough to fill up a deep dish pie pan.
It is not necessary to oil and/or flour a pie pan for quiche.
Pie crust:
Whether you use a homemade or pre-made pie crust, you'll have to blind bake it first before adding the egg mixture. Otherwise, the bottom of the crust will be soggy.
"Blind-bake" means you're basically baking a pie crust with nothing in it. The beans help weight the crust down so it won't puff up and no, the beans won't burn.
How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust:
Slicing and serving:
The trickiest part of serving quiche is cutting it so the crust doesn't fall apart. This is done by using an extremely sharp knife and by refrigerating the quiche first (or let it cool down a little.)
For best slicing results, after the quiche is done, let it sit out for about 15-minutes then refrigerate it for about 20-minutes. It slices better when it's cold-and you'll have to reheat it in the microwave.
Place the tip of the knife into the center and, using only the tip, drag it toward you. Clean the knife, and repeat (making a triangle slice.)
Slide the tip of the knife under the side of the crust and shimmy the knife under the slice. Lift it up, put it on a plate and microwave for about 30-seconds.
Storage and reheating:
An egg dish will last safely up to three days in the fridge when properly covered. To reheat, either place on low in the microwave or, cover with foil and bake on 300ºF for about 15-minutes.
Related recipes:
Ham and Onion Quiche
Equipment
- 9" x 2" fluted ceramic pie plate (total volume = 6 cups)
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust , roll-out dough
- 5 whole eggs , large
- 2¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 medium red onion , sliced thinly
- 4 ounces Swiss cheese , or Gruyere - shredded
- ½ cup ham , diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoons flour , for rolling out crust (optional)
- 1 cup dried beans , to weight pie for blind baking
- 2 tablespoons oil , for sauteing onions
Instructions
Blind Bake the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350ºF; set rack in middle setting
- Sprinkle flour on countertop and roll out pie dough to ¼" thick
- Place dough in baking dish; trim or crimp edges
- Place parchment paper over dough; lightly press the paper down on the bottom and add the dried beans
- Bake 25-30 minutes, until edges are lightly golden; remove pan from oven
- Remove parchment paper and beans; bake crust another 10-minutes; remove and allow to cool
Make the Quiche Filling
- Lightly saute onions until tender; set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, cream, diced ham, half of the shredded cheese, salt and pepper
- Once crust has cooled a bit, place sauteed onion on crust; then add the other half of the cheese over the onion
- Pour egg mixture into pie shell; place on sturdy baking rack and bake, uncovered on the middle rack at 350ºF for 50-minutes, or until center is done (test for doneness with a toothpick)
- Allow to cool for 15-minutes; then, place in refrigerator for 20-minutes NOTE: this step is optional. See Recipe Notes
- Slice quiche pie into sixths; plate on microwave safe plate and re-heat on low.
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