Ham and Broccoli Quiche

Quiche can be made in a variety of pans – anything from a metal tart pan with removeable bottom to a ceramic quiche pan or even a shallow casserole dish. The easiest and most accessible for an American home cook is a 9-inch glass pie pan and since I often travel with one in my suitcase, this is my go-to pan for quiche when away from home. While I’m very attached to the pâte brisée (pronounced paht bree-ZAY) dough (traditional all butter tart dough) I make by hand or in the food processor, you can of course use a purchased Pillsbury pie crust and be perfectly happy. A rimmed baking sheet under the quiche will help avoid messes and also keep the crust from becoming too brown.

6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 (9- inch) chilled pie crust -homemade/store bought
1 tablespoon EACH butter and olive oil
1 small sliced onion
1 broccoli crown, well trimmed, cut into 2-inch long florets and sliced in half lengthwise
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 ½ cups milk, half and half, cream, evaporated milk, or combination (can add melted butter to milk for richer custard)
4 eggs
¼ teaspoon Herbes de Provence-can sub dried basil or thyme
½ cup ( 2 ½ -3 ounces) diced ham
½ cup (2 ounces) grated cheese. Choose from Gruyere, Swiss, Cheddar, or a mix. (I used 1/4c Gruyere, 1/4c Cheddar.)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 C). Place dough for pie crust in pie plate or buttered tart pan. Crimp or flute edges if using a pie pan (to crimp: press into pan using table fork or to flute: pinch between thumb and index finger around the edge at the top of the pie plate.) or, if using a tart pan, press dough into fluted edges of tart pan, then trim excess dough by running a rolling pin over the top of the pan. Press a doubled piece of aluminum foil into the dough on the pie plate/tart pan to keep crust in place and bake 10 minutes. (This is called "blind-baking.") Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack while you prepare filling ingredients. Lower oven temperature to 350 F (177 C). See Notes below to skip the blind baking.
Heat butter and olive oil over medium flame in a 12-inch skillet and sauté onions and broccoli with a pinch each salt and pepper, stirring often until tender – about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Whisk together milk, cream, or half and half, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Herbes de Provence and set aside. Place ham evenly in bottom of crust and sprinkle with the cooked onions and broccoli. Add grated cheese. Carefully pour the egg mixture on top of the filling.
Bake for 30 -40 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet OR until filling is set, browned, and crust is light gold. A knife inserted at center should come out nearly clean. Do not over bake. Cool at least 10 minutes on rack before cutting and serving hot, warm, or at room temperature. Or cool, wrap loosely, and store for up to 4 days, cut and serve cold.

Notes

I like to make my pie dough, roll it, fit it into the pan, and freeze or chill it briefly while I make the filling. Other bakers make the dough, chill it, and then roll it out. Do what suits you best.

You can skip the blind baking of the crust if you’re really short on time. Bake the quiche at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake another 30 minutes or until golden.

Your quiche could take less or more time to bake until set depending on your ingredients, their temperature, what pan you used, and how well preheated your oven was.

Can freeze: wrap totally cooled quiche tightly in doubled foil and freeze at 0 degrees F for up to 3 months. Defrost totally while wrapped, unwrap, and reheat quiche at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.