Ham & Dijon Quiche

My submission for the quiche comeback.

Welcome! You’re At Isabelle’s—home to all things tasteful and tasty.

I have hosted many dinner parties, but something I have not yet done is a brunch. I love the idea of having people over for a big brunch, but many brunch foods are not overly make-ahead friendly and best enjoyed right when they are done cooking. Quiche is one of the exceptions. I think it’s best the day it is made, but it holds up perfectly well for a few hours after it’s been baked.

These days, I feel like the only place I ever see quiche is at the farmers market, maybe the odd cafe, but those sightings are few and far between. It feels like the kind of thing everyone knows about, but hasn’t had its moment since pre-2000. But like all things, I’m sure the trend will come back, even if I have to carry it on mine.

Initially, I was trying to think of how to make this quiche feel very spring-y, and started planning out possibilities with leeks, asparagus, and various herbs. But the fact of the matter is, I actually want something more meaty. Give me a lovely bright herb salad on the side (like the arugula salad with lemon-marinated peas), but not in the quiche itself. This quiche is similar to the classic quiche Lorraine. It has onions, I swapped the lardons for ham to avoid the annoyance of all the grease, and I’m doubling down on the French influence with a double dose of Dijon, both in the filling and brushed on the cooked pastry.

Speaking of pastry, a soggy, limp crust is your biggest enemy here. Luckily, it’s not one I have a problem with, for a few reasons. The biggest mitigator is baking in an aluminum pie tin. As much as I love the idea of baking the quiche in a pretty, decorative pie dish, I have started exclusively baking pastry in aluminum ones. Not only are they inexpensive, make clean up easier, and are very easy to unmold, but you will also get a perfectly golden brown crust. Aluminum conducts heat quickly and evenly. I also place it on a baking sheet that has been in the oven while it preheats, so the bottom of the crust gets immediate contact with a very hot surface. You can easily remove it after baking and place it on a pretty serving dish (or even back in a prettier pie dish, nobody needs to know your secret). I also like to brush a very thin layer of Dijon all over the baked crust, not only for flavour, but because it helps act as a little barrier between the wetness of the filling.

Recipe:

1 x 9-inch quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 batch Flaky All-Butter Pie Dough

• 100 g ham, thinly cut at the deli counter is ideal

• 1 medium onion

• 1-2 tsp olive oil

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 tbsp Dijon, plus 2 tsp, separated

• 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and place a foil lined baking sheet inside it.

2. Shape pie dough: Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface to at least an 11-inch round and about 1/8 inch thick, moving it around every few rolls to prevent sticking. Flip your pie dish upside down and lightly press it onto the dough so the rim leaves a faint imprint. Remove the pie dish and trim the dough 2 inches beyond the outline.

3. Place the dough round over the same pie dish, centred (the faint outline helps). Let the dough gently slump into the dish. Working in small sections, fold the overhang up and over itself to build a rim in line with the edge of the pie dish. Continue all the way around, then crimp as desired.

   Note: try to keep the crust as even in height as possible. The quiche can only hold as much filling as the lowest point of the rim, which can leave you with a shallower quiche if one section sits too low.

4. Bake pie dough: Prick the crust all over (about every inch) with a fork. Freeze for 10–15 minutes. Line the crust with crumpled parchment and fill with dried rice or beans. Place the crust in the oven on top of that now hot baking sheet, for 20–25 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, reduce the oven to 350°F, and bake until the crust is golden brown all over, about 20–25 minutes more. Set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F for baking the quiche.

5. Prep ham and onion: Meanwhile, slice the ham into thin strips (about 1 inch long and 1/2 inch wide). Cut the onion in half through the root, then thinly slice into half-moons. You want the ham and onion to be similar in size and shape for even distribution (and it looks better!).

6. In a pan over medium heat, add 1–2 tsp olive oil, the onion, the ham, and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and browned and the ham has some colour around the edges, about 5–7 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

7. Make egg filling: In a tall container for an immersion blender (a bowl + whisk works too; just mix very, very well), combine the eggs, whipping cream, milk, 2 tbsp Dijon, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper. Blend until completely smooth.

8. Assemble: Use a pastry brush to spread the remaining 2 tsp Dijon in a thin layer over the bottom and sides of the cooled crust (but not the rim). Place the pie dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Slowly pour in the filling, then scatter in half of the ham and onion mixture, and crack more pepper all over.

9. Bake: Carefully transfer the baking sheet with the quiche to the 325°F oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then carefully remove it, scatter the remaining ham and onion mixture evenly over top, and return it to the oven (this two-stage addition helps the filling ingredients disperse evenly instead of sinking and sticking to the bottom). Bake for about 50 minutes longer, then start checking: the filling should be mostly set with just a tiny wobble in the very centre. If it’s not almost fully set, keep baking and check again every 5 minutes until it is. Quiche doesn’t set much more after you pull it from the oven.

10. Let the quiche cool for at least 1 hour, then serve.

That’s all for now! See you next time At Isabelle’s.