Is there anything better than quiche? It’s a dish humble enough to eat for any meal — breakfast, lunch or dinner — and yet it’s classy enough for a nice spring brunch or an Easter gathering.
When I first started cooking, it surprised me that quiche is so easy to make. You can prepare it a day in advance and serve it either hot or cold. Just slice it before serving and hand out the plates.
As far as flavors go, you have lots of options. Bacon, spinach, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms are all popular filling ingredients.
Quiche is a great way to use up leftover veggies and cheese. This version, with roasted red peppers, is one of my favorites. The peppers add a subtle sweetness.
The three cheeses — cheddar, parmesan and goat cheese — are absolutely luscious. Together with the eggs and cream, the custard is smooth and melts in your mouth.
Oh, and the crust! It’s so amazing. (I can say this for certain because I’m not a ‘crust person.’) My standby is Martha Stewart’s pâte brisée, but any shortcrust pastry will do.
If you’re in a pinch, store-bought works fine, or just go crustless. Really, quiche is so versatile — you can’t go wrong.
And if you think I’ve steered you in the wrong direction, one of my favorite blogs, The Kitchn, wrote a great guide to making the perfect quiche that I’d recommend reading. // susannah
Three-Cheese Quiche with Roasted Bell Peppers
ingredients
Pâte brisée
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- ½ to ¼ cup ice water
Quiche
- ½ recipe pâte brisée chilled
- 3 medium bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 ounce goat cheese
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
instructions
PÂTE BRISÉE
- If mixing by hand (my preference), combine flour and salt in a large bowl, then add the chilled cubes of butter. Use two forks or a pastry blender to cut in the butter. If using a pastry blender, combine flour and salt in the bowl and pulse to combine. Add the butter, then pulse for about 10 seconds. For either method, the mixture should look like coarse crumbs with some large pieces remaining.
- Slowly, add in 1/2 cup of ice water until mixture just holds together. The dough should not be wet or sticky. (If using a food processor, do not process for more than 30 seconds.) If the dough sticks together when you squeeze it between your fingers, it is ready. If it’s still crumbly, add in more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Prepare two pieces of plastic wrap. Divide dough in half and roll into a ball. Wrap each ball with a piece of the plastic. Flatten the ball into a disk. Refrigerate at least one hour or overnight. The dough may be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerate overnight before using.
Quiche
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 14-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Fit into a 10-inch pie dish or tart pan, gently pressing dough to fit. With a small knife, trim excess dough, making the edge flush with the rim of the dish. Pierce the bottom of the shell with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make roasted peppers. First, wash and dry the peppers. Remove stalks and cut into quarters. Discard the seeds. Place the peppers skins-up on a baking sheet lined with foil, and drizzle with olive oil. Broil on high in the oven until the skins are just turning black, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 375° degrees. Line the pie shell with parchment paper, then fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice. Bake for 30 minutes or until crust has started to brown at the edges. Remove parchment and weights, then continue to bake for 5 to 10 more minutes. The bottom of the crust should be dry but not yet golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
- While crust is baking, complete the filling. Peel the skins off the peppers, then cut the peppers into thin julienne slices. For the custard, whisk together milk, cream and eggs until frothy, then stir in salt, nutmeg, cayenne pepper and black pepper.
- Place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle half the parmesan and half the cheddar over the bottom of the crust. Layer the roasted peppers, and top with the rest of the parmesan and cheddar. Crumble goat cheese over top. Carefully pour in the custard over the cheese.
- Bake until set, about 30 minutes. The edges should be set, but the quiche should jiggle slightly in the center. Cool for at least 30 minutes, but ideally overnight. Quiche can be served cold, room temperature or warm. If serving warm, heat it in a 300 degree oven until just warm to the touch.
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Helen says
This looks delicious! Love the combination of red pepper with the creamy cheeses. And that crust! I’ll have to make this soon.