We're Making This Ham & Cheese Quiche Recipe Just For The Crisp, Buttery Crust (2024)

FAQs

Is heavy cream or half and half better for quiche? ›

Heavy Cream and Milk – For the best tasting quiche, use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. (Or simply use half-and-half.) Using just heavy cream produces an overly thick filling. Whole milk is great, but a combo of heavy cream and milk is better.

The answer is, yes you can, which is a relief. You do need some fat in there to help it set, but you can get that from the cheese. Using just milk and eggs as the basis for the filling works perfectly well and I figure you are more likely to have these ingredients in, which is way more helpful.

You want to cook your quiche low and slow to keep the light fluffy texture. Too high of heat will cause the egg to curdle.

Blind Bake the Crust

One of the fool-proof ways to ensure a crisp bottom pie crust is to do what is called blind baking. This simply means that you bake the crust—either fully if you are adding a custard or cream that won't be cooked, or partially if the whole pie needs to bake—before adding the filling.

And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll out your homemade or purchased refrigerated dough into a 12-inch circle.

Quiche Ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy

You'll need to increase the amount of eggs and milk based on the size of your quiche, so knowing the basic ratio makes it really easy to scale up or down. For a standard 9-inch quiche: Use 3 large eggs (6 ounces) 1 1/2 cups of whole milk or cream (12 ounces)

To replace 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream in your recipe, add 2 tablespoons (19 grams) of cornstarch to 1 cup (237 mL) of milk and stir, allowing the mixture to thicken. You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe.

The French are known for using cream, whole milk, and butter when cooking, and making a traditional French quiche is definitely not the right time to deviate and opt for margarine or skim milk. By choosing whole milk over one with a lower fat content, the baked quiche will have a light texture, per The Kitchn.

What Is the Best Eggs-to-Dairy Ratio for Quiche? The ratio maintains your custard's consistency. A good quiche custard typically features: 1 large egg to 1/2 cups of dairy.

If you have butter and milk (whole milk or even half-and-half work best), you can make your own heavy cream substitute. To make 1 cup of heavy cream, melt 1/4 cup of butter and slowly whisk in 3/4 cup milk. This works for most baking or cooking recipes that require heavy cream, but it will not whisk into stiff peaks.

What is the key to a good quiche? ›

Using too many eggs in the custard results in a quiche that rubbery and too firm when baked, while not using enough will prevent the custard from setting. Follow This Tip: Remember this ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy.

Roll it out a tad bit thicker than you normally would for a standard pie if possible, and absolutely use it all. Confidently press any overhang or extra pieces into the walls of your pan. Add flour to your filling: Adding a bit of flour to your quiche filling helps absorb moisture and stabilize things in general.

Wet pie fillings + raw dough are a tricky combination. If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

If you pour the egg custard into an unbaked crust, the liquid is unfortunately going to seep into the crust, preventing it from crisping up. The simple solution is to blind-bake the crust before adding the custard. Follow This Tip: Blind-bake the pie crust before pouring in the custard to ensure a crisp, flaky crust.

Yes! Blind baking is a great way to start off making something like a quiche where you don't want the bottom crust to soak up too much of the filling.