François de MélogueLunchtime MealsProvencal RecipesTaste

Quiche Basics: Mastering the French Classic

Although not typically Provencal, quiche is definitely French. You find variations of this savoury tart in most bakeries, grocery stores and many lunch menus. The Quiche Lorraine is indeed the classic version, originating from the northeastern region of France. Any quiche recipe starts with eggs, cream, and (usually) cheese. After that, the sky is the limit with ingredients that you may wish to add. Some combinations might include smoked salmon and cream cheese, crab and tomato (photo below), leek and ham, or one of my favourites, spinach and feta.

However, keep in mind that too much of a good thing, like cheese or vegetables, will change the texture and outcome. For more simple French recipes, including many classics, head to our website.

French Basics crab and tomato quiche

Quiche Basics French Classics

Basic Quiche

Chef François de Mélogue
You can take this foundational recipe in almost limitless flavour directions. It provides you with the cornerstones of a successful quiche: a flaky crust and a creamy filling. This crust can also be used for making fruit tarts and rustic galettes. For the filling, only use heavy cream; milk has the potential to curdle when it cooks.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours 45 minutes
Course Lunch Dish
Cuisine French
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

FOR THE FLAKY PASTRY CRUST

  • 2 1/3 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, cold, diced into small pieces
  • ½ cup Water

FOR THE BASIC QUICHE FILLING

  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 cups heavy cream (35%)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg ground

Instructions
 

  • To make the flaky pastry crust, in a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder—pulse for a few seconds, just enough to mix well. Add the butter and pulse sev­eral times until the flour resembles coarse cornmeal. Slowly add the water with the motor running. Stop as soon as you have added the last drop of water. Don't worry; the dough will not be fully mixed at this point.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and mix it by hand until it comes together into a ball. Place in a large zip-top bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  • Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the dough out into a giant circle, about 15 inches round and 1/8 inch thick. To transfer it to a 9-inch springform pan, coil it around your rolling pin. Unwind the dough loosely over the pan. Gently push the dough down into the corners, leaving at least 1inch of dough hanging over the top edge. The outer-upper lip of the springform pan has a curled edge facing outward. Pinch the excess dough tightly around the edge, leaving any excess dough hanging down the outside. It is important to pinch as firm as possible without tearing the dough. This will prevent the crust from shrinking. Refrigerate the crust for 2 hours or more.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Transfer the pan to a baking sheet. Situate the baking sheet in the lower third of the oven - bake for 10 minutes. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and use a serrated knife to cut along the pan's top edge. All the scraggly pastry pieces that were pinched into place will fall off.
  • To make the basic quiche filling, whisk the eggs, yolks, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. When the crust is done, increase the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
  • Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust and bake until the filling is firm, about 50 minutes. Let it cool for about 30 minutes before cutting. It needs time to set. You will notice the difference resting makes, then you can slice it.
Keyword Cream, Eggs, Pastry, Pies, Quiche
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Recipes with Eggs

Fig, Walnut and Lardon Quiche
I love to make seasonal quiches, as there’s always a nice combination that will work. Figs are lovely with nuts, so you can make a very tasty number with some crushed almonds or walnuts, figs and some lardons for extra taste.
Check out this recipe
Fig Walnut and Lardon Quiche #Figs #Recipe @MirabeauWine
Duck Confit Hash and Eggs
Rich and decadent come to mind when eating this delicious brunch sensation. Silkie eggs take center stage atop succulent duck and veggie hash surrounded by sweet and sour cherry pearls.
Check out this recipe
Duck Confit Hash Cake
Black Truffle Scrambled Eggs (Brouillade aux Truffes)
The hardest part of this recipe might be getting your hands on some fresh black truffles. Sophie used the traditional bain-marie method for super creamy and fluffy scrambled eggs.
Check out this recipe
Scrambled Eggs Truffles Aups Provence Mirabeau en Provence
Truffled Devilled Eggs
Devilled eggs are really appetizers with a sightly bit old fashioned touch until you add truffles!
Check out this recipe
Truffled Devilled Eggs @ATableenProvence
.

Please share this with friends and family.

All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication Information
Affiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Previous post

12 Wineries Grape Reasons to Visit Lorgues Terres de Vins

Next post

Strawberries and Cream with Rosé Gin Jelly

Chef François de Mélogue

François de Mélogue grew up in a very French household in Chicago. His earliest attempts at cookery began with the filleting of his sister’s goldfish at age two and a braised rabbit dish made with his pet rabbits by age seven. He eventually stopped cooking his pets and went to the highly esteemed New England Culinary Institute, where he graduated top of his class in 1985.

Chef François has over 30 years of cross-cultural culinary experience and brings an impressive culinary history and a unique Mediterranean cooking style. After graduating top of his class from the notable New England Culinary Institute, Chef François began his career in a number of highly acclaimed kitchens across the country, including Chef Louis Szathmary’s restaurant The Bakery in Chicago, Old Drovers Inn, a Relais and Chateaux property in New York and Joel Robuchon Gastronomie restaurant in Paris, before opening award-winning restaurant Pili Pili in his hometown of Chicago, rated in the Top Ten new restaurants in the World by Food and Wine magazine in 2003.

Chef François resides in St Albans, Vermont with his wife Lisa and ten-year-old son Beaumont, who has proclaimed himself the family saucier. Chef François' latest publication French Cooking for Beginners: 75+ Classic Recipes to Cook Like a Parisian takes you on a culinary journey well beyond the streets of Paris. Francois is a professional photographer specializing in food/product photography, real estate photography and shooting rural landscapes of Vermont and France. Explore his work on https://www.francoisdemelogue.com/.

Take a look at his website Simple French Cooking filled with delicious recipes and beautiful photos. Also follow Francois on Medium for more tempting dishes Pistou and Pastis.

No Comment

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.