The Quiche Notebook: How to Make the Perfect Quiche

Quiche look difficult. They're not. Follow the basic rules below and use a thermometer to check for doneness. You'll make great quiche, even create your own.

In this notebook, you'll find recipes for:

• Spinach, Bacon, and Swiss Quiche
• Quiche Loraine 
• Potato, Ham, and Cheese Quiche
• Turkey and Broccoli Quiche
• Mushroom and Swiss Quiche
• Apple, Bacon, and Cheddar Quiche

A quiche is your one-dish make-ahead meal that is perfect for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Even if you’ve never made a quiche before, following these easy steps and secrets will make you feel like a pro, and you’ll make the perfect quiche every time.

The Basic Rules for Quiche

• Use 1/2 cup dairy for each large egg.
• Use 1/4 cup grated cheese for each egg. (You may use less cheese if you desire but we feel this is about right for both taste and mouth feel.)
• Use 3/4 teaspoon salt for a four-egg quiche.
• Use about 1 cup of added meats and vegetables for a four-egg quiche. (This is a rule of thumb only and may vary depending on your tastes and the ingredients used.)
• Bake until the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees but not more than 185 degrees. This typically takes about 45 minutes in a 375-degree oven for a four-egg quiche but the time may vary according to the ingredients and pans used. A thermometer is the only way to accurately tell if the quiche is done.

Understanding Baking: Making the Perfect Quiche 

 

Princple #1: The Right Ratio of Eggs to Dairy.

The eggs need to be diluted with milk or cream, but if you use too much dairy, there will not be enough proteins from the eggs to set the quiche. The right ratio of milk to eggs allows the protein in the eggs to coagulate and set up a firm structure for the quiche. You need to have the right ratio of eggs to dairy to get a silky, smooth filling. The right ratio is two eggs for every one cup of dairy. A four-egg quiche should have 2 cups of milk or cream or half and half.

Principle #2: Baking the Quiche Until it is Just Right.

As stated, a quiche relies on the coagulation of the egg proteins to set into a firm pie filling. A mixture of egg whites and egg yolks coagulates at 165 degrees. These same proteins become tough and the quiche becomes watery at 185 degrees. So your target temperature is 170 degrees.

The secret of a well-baked quiche is a thermometer. To test for doneness, insert a thermometer right in the center of the quiche halfway through the filling. When the temperature reaches 170 degrees, remove the quiche from the oven. If you let it cook longer than that, the temperature of the filling toward the edges where the filling sets first may be over 185 degrees.

Principle #3: Avoiding a burnt quiche crust.

By the time the center of the quiche reaches 170 degrees, the crust may be overcooked, even burnt.

The secret of avoiding a burnt quiche crust on a quiche is to protect the crust. A pie crust shield or aluminum folded around the edges of the pie is usually necessary to protect the protruding edges of the crust of the quiche. Both reflect heat. A pie crust shield is easier to use than aluminum foil which always seems to fall off or protrude into the filling.

Opposite to burning the crust, you also don’t want it coming out soggy. A dark pie pan absorbs heat and bakes the crust better, and similar to custards or fruit pies, they are preferable for avoiding soggy crusts for a quiche. A light pan, especially a stainless steel pan, reflects heat and will end up burning the pie crust by the time the quiche is cooked to 170 degrees.

Principle #4: Adding the right amount of cheese.

Cheese performs two functions in our quiche: It delivers flavor and adds fat that contributes to a pleasing “mouth feel” and substance. We prefer a cup of grated cheese in a four-egg quiche but admittedly, the amount of cheese is a matter of taste. For us, less than a cup of cheese makes the quiche taste light and with insufficient substance. If you use cream with its high-fat content, you can use less cheese.

All else is a matter of taste and preference: what meats and vegetables you add, what seasonings, and what cheese that you add.

 

Baker’s notes: Most vegetables and meats need to be precooked. Vegetables need to well-drained so that water does not leak into the quiche and interfere with the coagulation of eggs. Some vegetables, such as mushrooms, need to be well cooked to remove excess moisture.

One cup of cheese produces a cheesy quiche. Many recipes call for less than that.

For a richer quiche, use cream instead of half and half. Milk can be used and is especially satisfactory in cheese-rich quiches.

The traditional seasoning is nutmeg. Nutmeg is strong enough that only 1/8 teaspoon is used. Paprika, thyme, basil, oregano, and taco seasoning are other seasonings that can be considered.

 For the pie crust shell, you can use your favorite recipe, pie dough from the grocery store, or you can purchase a finished, frozen crust from the store.

 

The Basic Quiche Recipe: A Template

You will also find spices and seasonings you can add to your quiche, the right internal temperature for your quiche, and the right egg to dairy ratio for your quiche.

Ingredients

• a 9-inch pie crust shell, unbaked
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups half and half
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon seasonings (optional)
• 1 cup prepared vegetables or meat
• 1 cup grated Swiss or cheddar cheese

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the oven rack on the lower 1/3.

1. Form the crust in a nine-inch pan, preferably a silver or light-colored pan.
2. Whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and seasonings.
3. Stir in the meat and vegetables and grated cheese. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.
4. Bake until the internal temperature of the filling is at least 165 degrees but not more than 185 degrees (about 45 minutes). Use a probe-type kitchen thermometer to check for doneness.

 

Quiche Loraine Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust shell
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups half and half
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 pound bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1 cup grated swiss cheese

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the oven rack on the lower 1/3.

1. Form the crust in a nine-inch pan, preferably a silver or light-colored pan.
2. Whisk together the eggs, half and half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
3. Stir in the bacon and grated cheese. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.
4. Bake until the internal temperature of the filling is at least 165 degrees but no more than 185 degrees (about 45 minutes).

The Quiche Meal

A quiche is a centerpiece of a meal.  A green salad and I'm happy.  But I love muffins. They freeze well. So, I'm likely to pull a wholesome muffin from the freezer and thaw it in the microwave. A warm muffin, a green salad and a homemade quiche makes a fine meal. 

Here are some muffins to consider:

• A Banana Nut Muffin. Here's an easy way to make a batch of banana muffins. Put the extras in a bag in the freezer.
• A Candied Ginger Muffin. The sweet spark of candied ginger is amazing. Add candied ginger to the batter.
• A Cinnamon Chip Muffin. Just add water and bake. The cinnamon chips melt in baking with pockets of cinnamon sugar in the muffin--similar to cinnamon sugar on warm buttered toast.  

And Then There's Dessert: A Cobbler, A Cake, and Cookies

• A Peach Cobbler. It's quick and easy to put together. If fresh peaches are not available, use frozen ones.
• A Cream Cake with Whipped Cream.  The cream cake mix makes it easy. Instead of using plain whipped cream, try caramel whipped cream.
• Cookies. Our Cowboy Cookies are very popular--"everything but the kitchen sink." One of my cowboy friends says this is "the best cookie ever."

Proven Quiche Recipes

We have tested each of these. 

• Spinach, Bacon, and Swiss Quiche
• Quiche Loraine 
• Potato, Ham, and Cheese Quiche
• Turkey and Broccoli Quiche
• Mushroom and Swiss Quiche
• Apple, Bacon, and Cheddar Quiche