Madame Quiche’s Quiche au Fromage

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I believe that there is beauty in simplicity, or at least that’s what I used to tell my parents when I would get a less than stellar mark on my report card. Nonetheless, it is often true, and you will find no better example of that than in this simple and delicious quiche, a close representation of the ones sold by Madame Quiche every Saturday at the Louviers market in France. Her quiches are so delicious that many have tried to copy them. This recipe, from a 1999 issue of Gourmet magazine, is the one that I use. If you want to make it even simpler, use store-bought piecrust, roll it to fit a 10-inch pie pan, and blind bake it as described below. Once you’ve tried this one, you will kick all others to the curb.

 

Madame Quiche's Quiche au Fromage 

 

One recipe for basic pastry*

6 large eggs

2/3 c. heavy cream

1 c. whole milk (WHOLE! Absolutely nothing else will do, I mean it!)

Pinch of salt (1/8 – ¼ t.)

Few gratings of freshly ground black pepper

8 oz. Gruyère, Emmenthal, or other Swiss-type cheese

¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg

 Roll out the pastry to fit a 10½” pie plate. Crimp the edges, poke the bottom with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife, and place the pastry in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line the pastry with aluminum foil and pastry weights and bake in the bottom third of the oven until the pastry is golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the aluminum foil and pastry weights. Return the pastry to the oven to bake until the bottom is golden, an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and the milk until thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cheese and stir until it is blended. Turn the mixture into the pre-baked pastry, and spread out the cheese evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle the top with nutmeg and bake in the center of the oven until the filling is golden and puffed, and is completely baked through, about 30-45 minutes. To test for doneness, shake the quiche - if it is solid without a pool of uncooked filling in the center, it is done. You may also stick a sharp knife blade into the center of the filling and if it comes out clean, the quiche is baked through. Remove the quiche from the oven and serve immediately.

 *If you want to make it easy on yourself, use store-bought pastry, roll it between two pieces of parchment paper to fit a 10-inch pie pan, and blind bake as mentioned above.