My Mother's Quiche

My mother’s recipe for quiche is from a magazine cutout that hangs on the chalkboard in our kitchen next to a recipe for berry pie and among a slew of business cards for local plumbers and electricians. It’s stained with grease and the rings from mugs of tea, evidence that it’s been worn in. I’ve often found it funny that recipes online, the kind that’s written by strangers on the internet, always start with some story, some history about where the recipe came from and why it’s meaningful. Because in my house, the story behind a particular recipe exists only in the stains that have been left on the pages of books and various scraps of paper that live in one or another corner of my childhood home.

This recipe for quiche contains a multitude of stories, mostly from holidays whose religious connotation have long lost their meaning—Christmas, Easter, the occasional Passover brunch. Excuses to gather, really. Meals over which to reminisce, and over which to plan the next meal. Cycles of stories and recipes and meals that return every year. We are constantly returning to this recipe for its ease and for its comfort. Making the pie crust is perhaps the most intensive part of this process, but you can always skip this step and use pre-made pie crust from the frozen aisle of your local grocery store as well. My mother makes her custard in a blender, which expedites the process and saves your forearms some strain. If a blender is at your disposal, this is what I would recommend.

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For the Pie Crust

3/4 cup (100g) AP flour

1/3 cup (50g) Whole wheat or rye flour
*if you don’t have, you can use an additional 50g of AP flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp (10g) granulated sugar
*optional

1/4 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Mix together flours, salt and sugar. Cut your butter into 12 pieces (in half the long way and then 6 cuts perpendicular) and cut into your flour in one of two ways:

   1. in a mixing bowl, use your hands to press the butter into the flour, breaking pieces up gently and folding the mixture often using your hands to make sure your getting all the way underneath the flour as you go. OR

   2. Dump the flour onto a clean, flat surface. Spread your butter over the flour and using a pastry cutter or large knife, cut your butter into your flour in alternating directions.

2. Once your butter is cut to about the size of a chickpea, form a well in the center. Add your water into the well and slowly begin dragging your flour into the middle. This is easiest on a flat surface.

3. Continue kneading until you have a cohesive, shaggy dough. Then, cut the dough in half and layer one half over the other. Press down with the heel of your hand until it’s about an inch thick. Repeat, rotating your cut, making sure to work quickly and not to over work your dough. You want to make sure pieces of butter remain visible.

4. Making sure to collect all of the scraps of butter and dough, press your dough into a round and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least an hour or overnight.

5. When you’re ready to use your dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove from the fridge and let it come to room temperature, about 10-15 minutes. Lightly flour a clean surface. Begin rolling out your dough, rotating every 3-4 rolls to avoid sticking and ensure a more even end result.

6. Press gently into a 9-inch pie dish. Using dry beans or baking beads, weigh down your crust and par-bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove your weights from the center and let cool. Meanwhile, make your filling.

For the Quiche

1 tablespoon butter

3 large Spanish onions, halved and thinly sliced

Veggies and meat of your choice
*depending on the season, I recommend mushrooms, pancetta, asparagus, spinach, or swiss chard. All vegetables for a have to be cooked first, either sauteed in butter or oil, roasted, or steamed.

Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

1. Prepare your fillings, remembering that all vegetables for a have to be cooked first, either sautéed in butter or oil, roasted, blanched, or steamed according to your preferred method. Let cool.

2. In a bowl or blender, beat the eggs until frothy. Beat in the cream with a pinch of salt, pepper, and the nutmeg.

3. Grate your cheese or, if using pre-grated cheese, spoon all your fillings into the bottom of your pre-baked pie crust. Pour the egg mixture into your pie crus.

4. Set the pie pan on a baking sheet. This will make it easier to transfer into and out of the oven. Bake the quiche in the hot oven for 45 to 50 minutes (this is my mother’s preferred cook time) or until the custard is set and has taken on a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the pie settle for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.