I can't believe I've never posted my quiche recipe before. It may not be what most people consider a quiche. Many quiche I've come across have a filling that's more of a puree of ingredients than anything. Mine is a dense, eggy tart and I love it.
The crust is a new experiment, but one that has definitely worked out. I'm using, verbatim, the Cook's Illustrated foolproof pie dough. I can't find a copy online, so I will post it here for my own benefit. Interestingly, it uses vodka (though I had to make a quick whiskey substitution) because the ethanol in the vodka adds moisture, making the crust easy to handle and roll out, while not contributing much water. The result? An easy to handle dough that isn't overly watery or leathery in texture.
Quiche
Cook's Illustrated Single-Crust Foolproof Pie Dough
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp cold, unsalted butter
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 2 pieces
2 tbsp cold vodka
2 tbsp cold water
Combine 3/4 cup flour, all of the salt, and the sugar in the bowl of a food processor*. Pulse to combine, about 2 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade.
Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
Sprinkle vodka and water over dough. WIth rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
Blind bake the crust in a 9-inch pie plate at 350 until golden and set, about 12 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes and make the filling in the meantime.
*I do not have a food processor. I used a pastry blender, kept everything chilled, and worked very quickly. As near as I can tell, the results were nearly identical to those in the recipe from "cottage cheese curds" to an easy-to-handle disk.
Spinach and Parmesan Quiche Filling
6 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 tsp salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 medium onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 10oz bag, washed spinach
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half, salt, and nutmeg to blend.
In a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until softened. Add the spinach and only saute until it's partially wilted. Some raw leaves are fine; the varying textures are very pleasant in the quiche. Place the spinach mixture in the baked and cooled crust. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese evenly over the filling. Gently pour the custard mixture over the filling, moving the filling around so that it is evenly distributed and completely coated with the custard.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes until the filling is slightly puffed and golden. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
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