There’s just something about eggs and cream together. A marriage, as they say, made in culinary heaven. The wide, wide world offers so many choice custard desserts (do you know natilla?); my hub and best sous Dave adores old school American custard pies, as does good friend and fine baker Ruth Lehmkuhl. I, myself, like nothing better than a little crème brûlée to tuck into at the end of a long, laughing dinner, along with a not-too-tiny Armagnac, of course. I also love plain old custard with nutmeg –the perfect sore throat fast food– baked in Pyrex custard dishes, so there. And next comes quiche, which is simply a savory custard pie no matter what shape it’s baked into or what kind of dish or pan or plate holds it. It’s all good fun to bake a few quiche (quiches?) for a brunch, having them ready when folks arrive so they can choose their favorite(s). While yummy when warm — they’re not good straight out of the oven as they need to set a spell before cutting to avoid a hot mess — they’re also stunning at room temperature or even cold sliced up into bites on an appetizer platter. I have to slip in here that they travel beautifully; we often have a slice or two in hotel rooms after long car rides. I’ll also attest you can make a quiche out of just about anything, which makes them exceptional dishes for using up leftovers — more on that later. Today’s SALMON, LEEK & FENNEL crustless quiche (no pastry worries here) was just such a fortunate pie in my kitchen. After making a Salmon Cheese Spread for a charcuterie platter demonstration, I had just a little salmon leftover…

Needing dinner tout de suite (right away or tootie-sweetie as my excellent friend Sue says), my choices were: Salmon salad, pasta with salmon, salmon tacos (really not enough for that), an omelet, risotto, fried rice, or quiche. Checking the crisper, I spied leeks and fennel just about to give me the stink eye if I didn’t use them that night. Cheese? Please; you know I have a drawer full. A little leftover heavy cream piped up. (Ha!) Eggs? Not too many, but enough. (See Cook’s Notes in the recipe below for using less eggs to make a smaller version.) While I have no truck with making pastry, I knew I could have dinner on the table in maybe 45 minutes without it, so without it I went. I still had to sauté the leeks and fennel, but I could have cut time/effort here by using the microwave or by using vegetables that could go without prior cooking — minced garlic, sliced baby spinach leaves, halved cherry tomatoes, maybe even sweet peppers or mushrooms cut into a very small dice. Chopped marinated artichokes, diced olives, or canned roasted, sliced peppers would work, too. What’ve you got that might do the trick in your fast quiche?

So how did I do it? There’s a quick photo lesson below and a real recipe, too, of course, if you scroll down. A few things first:

Why the breadcrumbs in the bottom of the quiche dish? Added on top of a thin layer of butter for greasing, they keep the quiche from being too moist at the bottom, absorbing any excess liquid from the vegetables. (You could use a sprinkle of almond flour for a GF quiche.) Thanks to Sarah Copeland, NYT for this excellent tip.

Must you have a ceramic quiche dish? Noooo. A glass or metal pie plate or even a cake pan will do, as will a casserole dish–say a 9″ square Pyrex or Anchor Hocking. For this recipe, a 9″ springform pan will, I think, be too deep +/or large, though springforms are always great for a quiche with pastry.

Ok; here’s the quick photo tutorial:

While some purists might call this a frittata rather than a quiche (a quiche defined is a savory custard and fillings baked in a crust), I don’t go that route. I make many frittatas and they’re made on top of the stove, occasionally with a brief after-glow in the oven if they’re say 12″-14″ inches for a group. This version, baked totally in the oven in a ceramic quiche dish, feels and acts more like quiche even though crustless, and I’ll stick with that. For folks limiting carbs, crustless works fine and also is a boon for gluten-free diets, though you must make sure to use GF bread crumbs or almond flour on the bottom of the dish or pan. Whatever sort of cookware you end up using and whatever you call it, I think you’ll be happily dining when you try this:

Change it up: Use canned salmon or tuna or crab instead of grilled/roasted salmon. Try cooked shrimp (see below for another recipe). If it weren’t FRIDAY FISH time, you might toss in some shredded chicken or thinly sliced pork chop or roast in place of fish. Lisa November (and other vegetarians), of course you could add a few more veggies and skip the salmon! See recipe COOK’S NOTES for ideas about changing up the vegetables if leeks and fennel either aren’t your thing or are too expensive. Goat’s cheese could be used instead of cream cheese or you could use all grated Cheddar or Swiss if that’s in your fridge today. Quiche is nothing if not versatile.

So what about the dairy in quiche? Must it be cream or 1/2 and 1/2? Nope. You can use only whole milk and some bakers swear by evaporated milk, which is easy as it’s shelf stable. Consider your dietary needs and/or make use of what you have. NON-DAIRY? I have not used non-dairy milks such as soy or almond for this recipe, so I can’t speak to that but it’s worth googling. I did that briefly and this recipe from Gimme Some Oven looks very promising. While it does contain eggs (poultry, not dairy!), it skips cheese and cow’s milk, making good use of almond milk instead. Do then also use olive oil in place of the butter for sautéing the veggies and a baking spray for the quiche pan. Let me know if you try it.

Add butter to milk to replace heavy cream/Healthline

What goes well with quiche? Lots of things! But I especially like a frisky-perky crunchy green salad (to stand up to the creamy goodness of the quiche), shown below with a mixture of spinach and arugula topped with fennel along with thinly-sliced red onions and halved cherry tomatoes. My Creamy Parm Vinaigrette began with a tablespoon of sherry vinegar laced with a minced clove of garlic, a pinch each of salt and pepper, and an even smaller pinch of crushed red pepper. There she rested for 2-3 minutes to let the salt dissolve. I then whisked in a big teaspoon full of whole grain mustard, 2 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, followed by a teaspoon of mayonnaise. About a tablespoon of olive oil whisked in at the end pulled everything together. Taste a small drizzle of your vinaigrette with a little lettuce to see if your seasonings need adjusting.

IF YOU LIKED THIS, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE MY:

How to Make a Quiche out of Just About Anything (with or without a crust). If you have milk and eggs…and just a smidge of something else …you can soon have your quiche and eat it too.

Sheet Pan Quiche for a Crowd

Crustless Shrimp + Green Chile Quiche

Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Salmon Stir Fry

Want more salmon recipes? Click on salmon in the word cloud or just type salmon into the search box.

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LIFE GOES ON:

We are just back from a quick week in the UK to help celebrate my niece Gina and now-husband Philip’s wedding. The trip was an extraordinary one for many reasons but was especially wondrous as husband Dave and I made it with our daughter Emily and niece Shari Joy. (above photo/Emily, right; Shari, left). We spent a little time in London before training up to Edinburgh but due to time constraints and jet lag, didn’t have a lot of time for sightseeing. Of course we made it to a lovely pub for lunch and a nearby Italian spot for dinner. (Left: Thanks to Shari Moorhouse for the photo of us walking down the street in London.)

So “breakfast” is the term for the meal after the ceremony in Scotland no matter the time. We were able to choose our courses weeks ahead online. You could guess–or could you?– I had the burrata, salad, the fish, and the rhubarb-custard tart! Lovely, all of them–with perfect wine pairings.

The cool, calm, and collected Sarah Crothers, mother of the groom, made Scottish tablet (gold box) and rhubarb gin for take-home gifts. The tablet was her MIL’s recipe…MIL also named Sarah!

A long plane ride home, lost luggage, a six-hour delay, and finally we got to Colorado complete with the requisite overseas colds. I was supposed to co-lead a charcuterie lesson at an art fair and had to call that in, sending my finished board and lesson plan for my good and patient friend, local caterer Patti White, to present in my stead. Thank you, Patti!!

No matter, what, it’s always good to be home to our dog and our own coffee pot! And, you know, always knowing where the next bathroom is great, too.

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Bake some quiche soon and enjoy these first springy days. So glad you stopped in for FRIDAY FISH.

Alyce

Oh! Did you want to see the bride and groom?!!!