Quiche done right is velvet smooth custard that practically evaporates when eaten, but cooked too long or too hot, the soft gel breaks, curdling and squeezing out the moisture ending up with a soggy acrid mess. So it is important not to cook it in too hot an oven, and keep an eye on it when the edges begin to puff up, once the centre just barely begins to puff, remove it from the oven, it usually takes about thirty to forty minutes in moderately slow oven (170°C), so it will require a little attention for the last ten minutes.
For the Pastry
200g Flour
100g Cold butter
2 tbsp Cream
Salt
- Mix the flour, salt and butter together until they resemble fine breadcrumbs, a food processor is handy, but not necessary.
- Incorporate enough cream to form a dough.
- Wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Roll out to about 2mm thick.
- Place the pastry in a quiche pan.
- Line the pastry with baking paper and add some weights (rice, dried beans etc).
- Blind bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the baking paper and bake for 5 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven and trim the edges.
Filling
1 Broccoli cut into bite size florets blanched for a couple of minutes
1 Onion Sliced and sweated in a pan until golden
A handful of grated melting cheese, havarti works well
For the Custard
4 Large eggs
300 ml Cream
200 ml Whole Milk
Salt to taste
Mix together being careful not to add too much air to the custard, but making sure to fully homogenize the ingredients.
The egg custard has just set.
To Assemble
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Line the pastry base with the onion.
Arrange the Broccoli florets.
Sprinkle with the grated cheese.
Pour in the Custard, giving it a little shake to make sure it gets in every little gap.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, keep an eye on it near the end, as soon as the middle begins, or even looks like it’s thinking about rising, take it out of the oven. Let it rest on the bench for a few minutes before slicing.
