If you’re after a meatless dish idea, this rich and perfectly creamy French quiche is it! With a buttery, flaky crust and a velvety egg custard, this recipe is perfect for Lent, Fridays or any day of the week.
A classic French quiche recipe
This recipe was first given to my family by a beautiful Sister from the Emmanuel Community in France. The first time she made it for us we were completely obsessed, and it has been made many, many times over the subsequent years. I still have the original recipe, neatly handwritten, and now covered in splodges of dried egg and dustings of flour. I no longer need to refer to it when I make this dish, and I hope that can become the same for you too – pastry and all!
In Australia, it seems fairly well accepted that quiche is difficult to make. It is considered one of those faffy French dishes better off bought or enjoyed only when made by someone with plenty of time or skill on their hands. If this has been your attitude, I beg you to reconsider and give this a go. You are depriving yourself of a repertoire staple!
Cheap, simple, and versatile
Quiche is delicious, relatively cost effective, and versatile. Beyond the compulsory egg custard, you can vary the filling as much as you like. It can be tailored to your tastes (or those of your children), your time constraints, or the contents of your fridge. While the most famous quiche Lorraine uses the sumptuous mix of cheese and bacon, quiche is a perfect Lenten option. It can be so successfully made vegetarian and is a perfect base for using up any leftover veggies you have committed to not throwing away.
It is also a good one to make with your children. Pastry is basically edible playdough, and far quicker to make. While it can be done by hand, this dough is very hardy. I typically throw all the ingredients in a food processor and call it a day. My three year old loves being able to pull out the rolling pin and the whisk, not to mention snaffling any rogue shreds of cheese as I grate.
Importantly, while this recipe can be done in one sitting, I typically find myself doing elements across the day. Make some pastry… 9am. Custard… 2pm, etc. By the time I want to assemble, the different elements are happily sitting in the fridge, ready to go. Doing it this way, it should feel like far less of a mental obstacle, especially when you’re still cynically doubting all my claims to its simplicity!
Tomato and Goat's Cheese recipe
The recipe below includes the original filling as made by our dear friend many years ago. It is my go-to, a delicious combination of the sharp goat’s cheese, zingy mustard and sweet tomato. It is admittedly a little more adult, but I decided to include it, along with some other vegetarian options. Ultimately, do whatever is going to work for your family. And yes, in a pinch you most certainly can resort to store bought shortcrust pastry too!
French Quiche (Tomato and Goat's Cheese)
Equipment
- Food processor (optional)
- Rolling Pin
- Whisk
- 24 cm loose-bottomed, fluted tart case (Note 1)
- Oven tray (which comfortably holds the tart case)
Ingredients
Pastry
- 125 g butter (cubed, room temperature)
- 250 g plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup water
Egg mixture
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tbsp sour cream (optional, but highly recommended)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Filling
- 1 brown onion (thinly sliced or chopped)
- 1 tomato
- olive oil (for sautéing)
- 150 g soft goat cheese
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard (optional)
Other vegetarian filling ideas
- Seasonal roasted vegetables
- Pumpkin, spinach and feta
- Mushroom and ricotta
- Black olives, sun-dried tomatoes and halloumi
- Basically any variation of cheese + veg is going to work!
Instructions
For the pastry (Note 2)
- In a food processor, combine butter, flour and salt. Pulse until mixture resembles a crumble.
- Turn the food processor to a low setting, and slowly add water until the pastry comes together into a ball (Note 3).
- If you do not have a food processor, combine butter, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until it resembles a crumble. Add water and use the palm of your hand to fully incorporate the liquid until the pastry comes together.
- Shape into a disk. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate until required.
For the custard
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate until required.
For the filling
- Heat olive oil in a small frypan, and saute the onion until soft. Set aside.
- Halve the tomato and use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds and liquid (this will make your quiche watery). Finely chop your tomato and set aside.
Assembling and baking
- Preheat the oven to 180C (fan-forced).
- Remove pastry from the fridge (you may need to leave it on the counter to soften if it has been in the fridge long enough).
- Roll the pastry between two pieces of baking paper. You want it to be big enough to fill your quiche tin with a small overhang, but no larger.
- Gently ease the pastry into the tin (Note 4), pressing the pastry into the corners and pushing down any overhang (this pastry does not shrink).
- Prick the base of the pastry with a fork.
- Spread the custard over the base of the pastry followed by the onion, tomato, goats cheese and regular cheese (or filling ingredients of your choice).
- Place the quiche tin on a tray (this prevents any accidental spillage/leakage) and carefully pour on the egg mixture. If a lot of the filling is visible above the egg mixture you can push it down with a spoon.
- Bake for one hour, and rest for at least ten minutes before cutting.
Notes
- There is a bit of wiggle room in regards to tin size. You could definitely size all the way to a 28cm tin, but your filling and pastry will be spread a little thinner. Personally, I like a slightly deeper quiche, so prefer the small dimension with a taller (3.5cm approx) side.
- I would strongly encourage you to try making this pastry. If you want to use store bought shortcrust pastry instead, you will need to blind bake your pastry until set (but not coloured) prior to adding in your fillings.
- If your pastry is still crumbly at this point, you can add more water, one tablespoon at a time. You want the pastry to be smooth and easy to work with.
- I find the easiest way to do this is to remove the upper sheet of baking paper, place the loose bottom of the tart tin on top of the pastry, and invert the pastry (so the tin bottom is underneath and the baking paper on the top). Carefully remove the top layer of baking paper and slide the tin bottom and pastry into the tart case.
Are you after other meatless recipes?
If you tried this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments!
Hannah is a single mother of one and part-time librarian, living in Melbourne. A self-professed type A Martha (in the best possible sense), she loves to witness to her faith through service and hospitality. In her spare time, Hannah can be found reading recipe books, eating cheese or staking out Melbourne’s best delis.
5 Responses