Here’s a quiche to celebrate the green of spring, with spinach, artichokes, shallots, and goat cheese. So good! I have a couple insights to share regarding making quiche. The first is that even though every proper quiche recipe recommends that you pre-bake or “blind bake” the crust, I haven’t found it necessary. I use a frozen crust (I make my own, but you can easily use store-bought) because it holds its shape better when you bake the quiche in it. The second insight has to do with a homemade crust for quiche. The trick to a perfect pastry crust for this quiche is just to make sure you have enough fat in the dough. A ratio of a 1/2 cup of butter for every 1 cup of flour is perfect. No need to chill the butter or the water. No need for any gadgets, you can easily make the dough using your hands and a bowl. The classic egg to liquid ratio for quiche is 1 egg for every half cup of cream or milk. In this quiche because it’s so packed with spinach and artichokes, I’ve added another egg for more structure. Even with that extra egg, the quiche just holds together. Enjoy! We use goat cheese in this recipe. You could easily sub with grated Gruyere or Monterey jack.
1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces, 8 tablespoons) butter 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons water
Quiche:
1/2 cup, packed, finely chopped artichoke hearts (cooked fresh or canned artichoke hearts packed in water) 6 ounces cooked spinach (if using frozen, thaw first), squeezed to remove excess water (wrap in clean tea towel or several layers of paper towels and squeeze), finely chopped 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 cup minced shallots 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 4 large eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 4 ounces goat cheese 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons minced chives or green onion greens
Cut the butter into cubes and use your (clean) hands to work the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that looks like a coarse meal with pieces of butter no bigger than a pea. Sprinkle water onto the flour mixture a little at a time, and work the dough with your hands until the dough can be formed into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour. When you are ready to roll out the dough, remove the disk from the refrigerator and let come to room temp for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a diameter 2 inches wider than your pan (I used a 9-inch pie pan). Drape the rolled out dough over the pie or tart pan and press the dough into the sides of the pan. Trim and crimp the edges. Place in freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. To pre-bake a store-bought crust, just follow the directions on the crust package. To pre-bake the homemade crust in this recipe, line the inside with aluminum foil and fill it with pie weights such as beans. The foil and the pie weights will help keep the sides of the crust from sliding down as it bakes. Bake for 15 minutes at 375°F, then remove the foil and weights, prick the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork , and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool down a bit before filling with the quiche custard filling. Place in oven. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F and cook for 30 minutes, or until the center of the quiche has set.
