For so long I have been making quiches for dinner to use up my leftover meat, vegetable or cream. The pastry base can be whipped up in minutes using a food processor. The filling can literally be anything and you know the savory egg custard will make all that come together in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients
For the Quiche shell
- 225g all purpose flour
- 150g cold salted butter
- 40g sourdough discard (or yogurt or 1-2 tbsp. cold water)
- 1 tsp. cold water (if needed)
- 1 tsp. ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- *1/2 tsp salt only if you are using unsalted butter
Savory egg custard
- 5 eggs (250g)
- 125g milk
- 125g cream
- pinch of salt pepper each
Vegetarian filling
- about a cup of roasted pumpkin/squash
- 1/4 cup of roasted bell pepper
- half an onion bulb, caramelized
- 1/3 cup of Lifewaykefir farmer cheese
Quiche Lorrain filling
- about 6 rashes of bacon (thick cut is best)
- a bunch of scallion
- 1/3 cup of Lifewaykefir farmer cheese
Instructions
- Make the pastry by processing flour, garlic powder and pepper in a food processor with cold butter cubes. Process until small crumbs form (should represent bread crumbs)
- Add the sourdough discard or yogurt (if not just add 1 tbsp. of cold water) and process until tiny clumps start to form
- At this stage bring out the pastry mix on to a surface and press together by hand to form a dough. gently knead until its fairly smooth
- Wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least two hours or overnight. Overnight it best if using sourdough as it will help develop more flavor
- Let the chilled pastry thaw before you roll out
- Roast the pumpkin and bell pepper before you roll out the pastry
- Preheat the oven to 350F and roll out the pastry to fit the pie dish(quiche tray) you plan to use The dough thickness should be 2-3mm. If its too thin, it will break easily. It’s okay to be too thick but that will give you less space for filling
- Once rolled out, cover the lightly greased quiche tray or dish with the pastry
- Press gently and trim the edges. Smooth out or crimp the border
- Dock the pastry with a fork. Place a parchment and add the baking beads or beans and blind bake for about 15-20 minutes. Then remove the parchment and the weights, lightly egg wash (optional) and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown
- Prepare the custard by whisking all the ingredients and set aside
- Prepare the fillings. Fry the bacon and chop into small pieces, slice the scallion. For the vegetarian quiche, caramelize the onions(add chili flakes/Thai chili peppers for extra heat)
- Once the base is baked, you can fill and bake the quiches
- Make sure the oven is preheated to 350F and ready before filling the bases
- Simply add the prepared filling, slowly pour the egg custard to just cover the fillings. Do not fill to the brim
- Place on a bigger tray and place in the preheated oven. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the custard is not runny in the center
- The baking time depends on the filling and the amount of custard used
- Do not overbake the quiche as the texture will be crumbly instead of smooth and creamy
- Let the quiche cool slightly and serve with a fresh salad
Storing
Prebaked quiche shell can be stored at room temperature for up to two days. If you need to keep longer, wrap and refrigerate or freeze. The baked quiche (with filing and custard) can be refrigerated. Let the quiche cool completely before placing in an air tight container and refrigerate. It will be good for 3-4 days but the pastry may go soft. Refresh the quiche by placing in a moderate oven for 10 minutes or you can microwave until the center is no longer cold.
