Quiche Lorraine with Vegetables

This recipe was almost a disaster… but at the end, the results were great. Last week, I decided to make quiche since I had all the ingredients in my kitchen. I was very tempted to buy pie crust instead of making my own quiche crust but, since I was planning on posting this recipe for you, I decided to make everything from scratch. You would think that, since I had never made quiche crust before, I would follow the recipe instructions religiously, right? At least that is what any person with common sense would have done. Well, I skipped several steps thinking that they would not make a difference. Big mistake!

Everything was going as planned: the dough had a great consistency, I rolled the dough on a pie pan and put it in the oven, and I was preparing the filling. After the pie crust had been in the oven for a few minutes, I decided to peek at it. And that is when things started going downwards. The dough had shrunk! Yes, as in a few inches smaller. And it was bubbling. I stopped preparing the filling and in a hurry, I took the pie pan from the oven. It was at that point that I realized that I should have not skipped the step that indicated to put dried beans on top of the pie crust (who has dry beans anyway? Right?). I started pinching the dough with a fork to deflate the bubbles and with two wooden spoons tried to expand the dough. Once the dough had been extended to its original size, I put it back in the oven and continued making the filling. A few minutes later I decided to peek in the oven (praying that the dough had not shrunk again) and noticed that the edges of the dough were getting darker than the middle of it. Yes, I realized that I should have covered the edges with aluminum foil as the recipe indicated. Since the dough was almost done, I decided to take it out of the oven. I poured in the filling and put it back in the oven.

After 30 minutes in the oven, I was expecting my quiche to be ready, so I opened the oven and took the dish out of it. Surprise! The filling was not cooked yet. By this time, it was probably 7:30 and we were starving.  I put it back for another 10 minutes. At this point, the edge of the crust was getting a bit too brown. The filling was cooked, however, it was too soft to cut and eat.  I don’t know if the recipe was wrong as to the time the quiche needs in the over or if, when I altered the recipe, it changed the time the quiche needed to cook. That night, we did not it quiche. We ate stale pizza.

The following day, after the quiche had spent the night in the refrigerator, it was set and it looked beautiful! As soon as I had a bite I knew that all the trials and tribulations I went through in making it were worth it.  It was delicious. However, the next time I make it, I am going to buy pie crust. I will never, ever again, try to make it from scratch.

You should really try this recipe. The quiche was delicious. However, I recommend you to make it a day ahead so it has time to settle.  

Quiche Lorraine with Vegetables

Adapted from:  Savoring France by Georgeanne Brennan for Williams-Sonoma

Pastry

2 cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter

6 tbs. ice water

Filling

3 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

2 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

¼ cup corn kernels

1 poblano pepper (diced)

1 garlic clove

¼ yellow onion (sliced)

1 cup French style green beans (frozen)

Sal & Pepper

Directions

1.  To make the pastry, in a bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the butter (cut in thin squares), add the water, one tablespoon at time, while turning the dough lightly with a fork and then your fingertips.  Gather the dough into a ball (it should be a little crumbly), wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 425 F.

3. On a flour work surface, roll out the dough into a round about 10 ½ inches in diameter and about ¼ inch thick. Drape the pastry around the rolling pin and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan/ Pat into the bottom and sides and trim even with the rim. Line the pastry with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

4. Bake the pastry until set but not browned – approximately 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift out the weights and liner. Prick and bubbles with the tines of fork and return to the oven until firm and barely colored, 5 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and set aside.

5. Reduced the oven temperature to 375 F.

6. To make the filling, in a pan, cook the bacon, onion and poblano peppers for about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.  In a bowl, stir together the eggs, milk and half-and-half, salt and pepper.

7. Pour the egg mixture over the pastry crust.  Carefully, scatter the bacon and vegetable mix (you may have some leftovers). Transfer the quiche to the oven and bake until the top is puffed and lightly golden and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean – approximately 35 minutes.

8. Take it out of the oven and let it cool until the filling settles.