One of the best “kitchen-sink” recipes, don’t let the fancy name fool you into thinking this is a complicated dish to make. Essentially a custard pie, as long as you remember the ratios of custard, you can add anything to spice up this simple dish. Makes one pie. 

Ingredients

  • Puff pastry dough
  • 6 Ounce lardon, cubed
  • 1 Cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 Cup whole milk
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1/2 Teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 Pinch nutmeg
  • 1 Cup finely grated gruyère cheese

Preparation

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Step 2:

Roll out the dough and use it to line a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate. Dock the dough and freeze it for 20 minutes.

Step 3:

Line the crust with parchment, fill it with pie weights or dried beans, and bake it for 15 minutes.

Step 4:

Remove the pie weights and parchment and bake the crust for 5 minutes more, or just until the raw-dough sheen is gone. Set it aside.

Step 5:

In a heavy skillet, sauté the lardon cubes until they are crispy and the fat is rendered. Transfer them to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Step 6:

In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the cheese and the lardon, and pour the filling into the crust.

Step 7:

Bake the quiche for 30 minutes, or until the filling begins to puff and turns golden brown.

Option 1:

Add some smoked salmon, sautéed red pepper, and onion, a spoonful of minced fresh dill, and some salt and pepper. Stir in your favorite cheese—a goat cheese would be lovely with that salmon—and you have a great brunch dish.

Option 2:

Add salsa, Manchego or Jack cheese, jalapeño, chorizo, and finish off with a slice of avocado, and you’ve got a Mexican quiche. How about a Mexican quiche? Got some salsa? A bit of Manchego or Jack cheese? Jalapeño and chorizo? Take it up a notch by making this quiche with a cornmeal crust.

Option 3:

Make a Vermont quiche by adding turkey, cheddar, and dried cranberries.