RECIPE: Gather ‘round the quiche
The hustle and bustle of holidays are beginning to wind down. We’ve eaten, we’ve drunk, and we’ve definitely been merry. Now, we enter the days when we really want to slow down and take stock of what’s to come.
I find myself wanting simple meals made with less ingredients that are satiating but not too filling or complicated. Enter: quiche. A flaky pastry crust, a fluffy egg custard, and endless filling options is a treat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s a snack or the whole dang meal. It is any and everything you want it to be.
For this recipe, there are a few key ingredients that make this quiche great. Cornmeal adds a little grit and texture to the crust and complements the creamy egg custard. Creme fraiche makes the filling so smooth while also bringing a little tang. You can usually find creme fraiche at grocery stores or specialty cheese shops, but it’s also very simple and cost effective to make at home. If you don’t have creme fraiche, you can substitute whole-fat Greek yogurt or heavy cream.
And finally, get creative with the filling! I follow a template of a seasonal vegetable plus a seasonal herb plus grated or crumbled cheese. In the summer, it might be cherry tomatoes with thyme and chevre. Winter can be roasted butternut squash plus sage and Pecorino Romano cheese — the options are endless.
You can add any meat, but cooked bacon or a nice sausage go so well. However you decide to fill it, this recipe is great for those cold, wintry days when you need a lovely dish to slow down and reset.
Cornmeal Quiche
- For the crust:
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup stone-ground cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 8 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup ice water
- For the filling:
- 5 large eggs, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup creme fraiche
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup preferred precooked vegetables
- 1/2 cup preferred grated or crumbled cheese
- 1 tablespoon preferred chopped fresh herbs
- Prepare the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Using a bench scraper or pastry cutter, cut in butter, then use your hands to work mixture until it resembles chunky oatmeal. Slowly pour in ice water and mix dough until it comes together into a cohesive ball, adding more water, a little bit at a time, as necessary.
- Pat dough out into a flat disk and wrap well with plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll out chilled dough on a floured surface to about 1/2-inch thick round, transfer to a ungreased 9-inch pie pan and crimp using your fingers or a fork. Prick bottom of the crust with a fork so the crust doesn’t puff up while baking.
- Bake until crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
- While crust cools, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees and prepare filling. In a medium bowl, beat 1 egg with flour until smooth. Whisk in remaining 4 eggs until blended. Set aside.
- In a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, combine creme fraiche and milk. Stir until combined. Pour egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into milk mixture. Add pepper and salt, then stir well to combine.
- Evenly scatter precooked vegetables on prepared crust, followed by cheese and herbs. Pour milk and egg mixture on top and bake 15 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake 30 minutes more, until top begins to brown and center is still slightly jiggly.
- Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Quiche will keep, refrigerated, up to 1 week.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 439 calories (percent of calories from fat, 59), 11 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 29 grams total fat (17 grams saturated), 190 milligrams cholesterol, 651 milligrams sodium.Sarah Dodge is an Atlanta-based bread baker, pastry chef and baking instructor. She is the owner of Bread is Good, which offers bread subscriptions to the general public and wholesale baked goods to local markets and restaurants.
