How To Make the Best Asparagus Quiche
published about 1 hour ago
I have high standards for quiche — as in, quite literally high . I want a tall quiche where there’s a big ratio of filling to crust, one filled to the brim with creamy custard setting softly around the meat, veggies, or cheese. Lots of restaurants make quiche in springform or cake pans because of the tall, straight sides that yield substantial slices. Home cooks, however, tend to use pie pans because they’re a common piece of kitchen equipment, not to mention the fact that you can buy store-bought pie shells. But the resulting quiches tend to be thinner.
This recipe bridges the gap between the two worlds and celebrates spring asparagus all in one fell swoop: Chopped asparagus, scallions, and feta cheese go into a deep-dish crust so there’s plenty of room for lots of custard to hold it all together . Since the veggies don’t need to be pre-cooked, this quiche doesn’t take a lot of time to put together, and you’re rewarded with a satisfying, beautiful dish that can be eaten at any time of day.
For the Very Best Quiche, Use a Deep-Dish Pie Pan
This recipe uses a deep-dish pie pan because it holds more filling than a regular pie pan due to its taller sides. To line it, roll out homemade pie dough out into a big round that’s 12 to 13 inches across.
If you want to take a shortcut with the crust, grab a frozen deep-dish pie shell at the grocery store instead. It doesn’t hold quite as much filling as a deep-dish pie pan, but still works just fine. Don’t use a regular store-bought pie shell, which doesn’t hold enough filling, or try to roll out store-bought dough, which will be too thin when rolled out to the right size .
Watch More In Organize & CleanPar-Bake the Crust
To make sure the crust doesn’t get soggy when the custard goes in, the important first step to this quiche is par-baking the crust before adding the custard and doing the final bake . (This isn’t blind baking, which is when a crust is fully baked because it doesn’t go back into the oven.) Par-bake by lining the pie shell with foil, adding in pie weights ( sugar works great too! ), and then baking until the crust is just set. Take the foil and weights out, bake just a few minutes more to get the crust a very light golden-brown, and the par-baked crust is now ready to fill. If you’re using a frozen deep-dish crust, follow the directions on the package, using pie weights if it offers that as an option.
The Easiest Asparagus Filling
Once the crust is par-baked, filling the crust is easy. Chop up asparagus, slice some scallions, crumble up feta cheese, and layer it into the crust. Scallions give great flavor and don’t need to be pre-cooked, and feta cheese offers creamy, tangy notes — try to get whole pieces of feta still in brine for the best flavor. Whisk together an easy custard of half-and-half and eggs and pour it into the crust.
Since a homemade deep-dish pie shell holds more filling than a frozen store-bought one, the recipe offers different amounts of asparagus and custard to fill up the shells to the right level, so be sure to note what you should be using.
How to Serve Asparagus Quiche
After about 45 minutes in the oven, this fragrant, beautiful spring quiche is ready to eat. Let it cool slightly before diving in so you can cut clean slices. I like my quiche warm, but it can certainly be eaten at room temperature, too. This quiche — chock-full of crisp-tender asparagus and buttery crust — is a really great vegetarian breakfast, brunch, or lunch, especially alongside a green salad tossed with a vibrant vinaigrette.
How To Make the Best Asparagus Quiche
Yield Serves 6 to 8 , Makes 1 (about 9-inch) deep dish quiche
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes
- shellfish-free
- kidney-friendly
- fish-free
- alcohol-free
- vegetarian
- peanut-free
- pork-free
- pescatarian
- sugar-conscious
- tree-nut-free
- soy-free
- red-meat-free
- Calories 241
- Fat 15.0 g (23.0%)
- Saturated 7.1 g (35.4%)
- Carbs 19.4 g (6.5%)
- Fiber 1.2 g (4.6%)
- Sugars 3.0 g
- Protein 7.5 g (14.9%)
- Sodium 299.5 mg (12.5%)
Ingredients
-
All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1
homemade single-crust pie dough (about 12 ounces), or 1 frozen deep-dish pie crust
- 8 to 12 ounces
asparagus (1/2 to 3/4 bunch)
- 3
medium scallions
- 4 ounces
feta cheese
- 3 to 4
large eggs
- 1 to 1 1/3 cups
half-and-half, or equal parts whole milk and heavy cream
- 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons
kosher salt
-
Freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
-
Chef’s knife and cutting board
-
Deep-dish pie plate and rolling pin (optional)
-
Measuring cups and spoons
-
Mixing bowls
-
Whisk
-
Wire rack
-
Aluminum foil
-
Pie weights, dried beans, or dried rice
Instructions
Par bake the crust:
-
Option 1: Store-bought pie crust
Bake according to package directions, then go directly to making the filling and baking the quiche.
-
Option 2: Homemade pie dough
Roll out the pie dough. Place the pie dough on a floured work surface and roll out into a 12 to 13-inch round. Press into a 9 to 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate and fold the overhang underneath. Crimp as desired. -
Chill the crust and heat the oven. Refrigerate the pie shell for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375ºF.
-
Par bake the crust. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet. Line the crust with aluminum foil, then fill with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. Bake until the crust is set, about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment. Bake until just starting to brown, about 10 minutes more.
Make the filling and bake the quiche:
-
Prepare the filling ingredients. Snap the tough stems from 8 ounces asparagus for the store-bought crust, 12 ounces for the homemade crust. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Thinly slice 3 medium scallions (about 1/3 cup). Crumble 4 ounces feta cheese (about 1 cup).
-
Prepare the custard.
For the store-bought crust: Place 3 large eggs, 1 cup half-and-half, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a pinch of black pepper in a large bowl and whisk until combined.
For the homemade crust: Place 4 large eggs, 1 1/3 cups half-and-half, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, and a large pinch of black pepper in a large bowl and whisk until combined. -
Fill the pie crust. Sprinkle half the feta and half the scallions into the crust. Top with the asparagus, then sprinkle with the remaining cheese and scallions. Pour the custard into the crust, stopping when it is about 1/4-inch from the top of the crust if needed. (You may not need all the custard.)
-
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Bake the quiche at 375ºF, still on the baking sheet, until the edges are set but the center still jiggles just a little, 40 to 50 minutes (check after 30 minutes and cover loosely with foil if the crust is already browned). Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
Recipe Notes
Using frozen pie crust: If not filling the pie shell with weights during par baking, poke holes in the bottom and up the sides of the crust with a fork to keep it from puffing up. If bubbles do form, using a paring knife to top them.
Make ahead: The crust can be blind baked and cooled up to 2 days in advance; store tightly wrapped at room temperature. The quiche can be baked, cooled, and refrigerated up to 3 days in advance. Let come to room temperature or reheat in a 300°F oven before serving.
Storage: Leftover baked and cooled quiche can be stored wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 300°F oven until just warm to the touch.
Christine Gallary
Food Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram .
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Source : food
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