This is a wonderful quiche recipe. It is adaptable to just about whatever you have in your refrigerator crisper.
I used broccoli, red pepper and spinach in my recipe and it was great. This is a Melissa Clark recipe and she used sweet potato, bacon and parsley in the original recipe.
While this quiche is special enough (and pretty enough) to serve at a party, it is perfect reheated in your oven for weeknight meals. I’ve enjoyed slices of this quiche with a bowl of hearty lentil soup (Egyptian Lentil Soup) but also with a light green salad dressed with an assertive vinaigrette (Little Black Dress Vinaigrette). Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve also enjoyed a slice (or two…or three!) for breakfast with a steaming pot of my best Darjeeling tea and my morning New York Times .World news may be frightening but this quiche makes for a substantial and delicious start for the day.
The crust in this recipe is really nice, too. Clark’s trick for reinforcing the edges of the quiche shell makes for a sturdy quiche shell that holds together.
This recipe is from Melissa Clark’s Dinner in French cookbook. You can order the book through your local bookstore or on Amazon here.
Here is the recipe as I prepared it in my kitchen.
Red Pepper, Broccoli and Spinach Quiche
Ingredients
- For the Crust
- 2 C. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 t. fine sea salt
- 1/4 t. sugar
- 1 C. unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
- Scant 1/2 C. ice water
- For the Filling
- 3 C. roasted mixed vegetables
- 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 t. fine sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 C. heavy cream
- 3/4 t. lemon zest
- 1/8 t. black pepper
- 1/8 t. nutmeg
- 1/2 C. grated cheddar cheese
- 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
- Step 1 Put flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of your food processor. Mix.
- Step 2 Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and pulse until the butter is the size of a large bean.
- Step 3 Drizzle the ice water into the flour/butter mixture and pulse until it begins to come together. Less is more here, so you may not need to use the 1/2 C. of ice water. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured counter and knead a few times until you have a ball of dough. Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm it up. (This dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
- Step 4 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.and arrange oven racks so that one rack is in the upper third of the oven and one rack is in the lower third of the oven.
- Step 5 Prepare a 10-inch quiche pan with a removable bottom by buttering it.
- Step 6 Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured counter. Roll the rolled-out dough around your rolling pen and drape it across the quiche pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the quiche pan. Fold any excess dough down over the edges of the quiche shell to strengthen the sides of the quiche. Once you have done this, use your fingers to press the edges of the quiche dough about 1/4 inch above the rim of the pan. Use a fork to dock the dough. Put the shell into the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours).
- Step 7 Remove the quiche shell from the refrigerator. Grease a piece of cooking foil and press it into the quiche shell with the greased side down. Fill the foil with pie weights or beans and bake for 15 minutes on the upper rack of your oven. After 15 minutes, remove the shell from the oven and remove the pie weights and foil. Return the shell to the oven and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. You want your shell to just begin to show some browning. Remove the shell from the oven and place the shell on a rack to cool slightly.
- Step 8 While the crust of your quiche is baking, roast your vegetables in your 425 degree F. oven. You need about 3 cups of vegetables cut into small cubes. I used broccoli and red peppers which I tossed in olive oil and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. Roast these vegetables on a baking tray on the lower shelf of your oven (stirring once after 10 minutes). Separately, I steamed about half a bunch of fresh spinach which I then chopped. Once your vegetables have roasted, remove the tray from the oven and let the vegetables cool.
- Step 9 Reduce the heat setting for your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Step 10 Using a bowl, mix the eggs, cream, lemon zest, 1 t. salt, pepper and nutmeg together.
- Step 11 To assemble the quiche, scatter the roasted vegetables and grated cheddar on the bottom of the par-baked crust. Then,, carefully pour the egg batter into the shell. Finally, sprinkle the grated Parmesan on the top of the quiche. Bake the quiche on the lower rack in your oven for about 30-35 minutes. You want the quiche to be puffed and brown. Remove the quiche from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before removing the ring from the quiche pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
