Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy (early) Mother’s Day!!! If you’re reading this post, I hope you have something special planned for your mom. And if you’re a mother, your kids better have something amazing planned for you! As someone who works with food, one way I like to show my love and affection is through cooking. Unfortunately, my mom is back home in New York so my sister and I won’t be able to celebrate this day with her, but this is why we have FaceTime! One of the many similarities I share with my mom is that we both LOVE breakfast, so mother, this Spring Onion Quiche is for you
Quiche Me Like You Mean It
The base component of this Spring Onion Quiche is adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Mushroom Quiche recipe. I made the mushroom quiche recipe on Christmas morning, and let me tell you, it was phenomenal! The crust was buttery and tender, and the filling was so velvety and creamy! I’m not gonna lie, it was quite a process to put everything together, but it was SO WORTH IT!
The recipe was so delicious that I had to use the crust and custard recipes for my Spring Onion Quiche! Since it’s the spring time, I decided to take advantage of the seasonal produce. When I think of Spring foods, I think of lightness, greenery, vegetables, herbs, and brightness. All of these components are incorporated into this lovely Spring Onion Quiche!
A quiche is comprised of a custard base and crust. When you think of a custard you don’t associate it with being light. However, this custard base is so creamy and soft — it won’t feel like a bag of rocks sitting in your stomach. I also added in some lemon zest to cut through the creaminess of the base. For the filling, I used green onions, chives, asparagus, dill, and tarragon. I think that these ingredients scream “spring” and add in the elements of greenery, vegetables, herbs, and brightness that I’m looking for.
Tip Time
As I mentioned earlier, making this quiche is quite a process, but completely worth it. If you’re making this for Mother’s Day, you probably want it to come out perfectly. So here are some helpful tips that can take you one step closer to success:
- Read through the entire recipe. This way, you know how long the process will take and you’re familiar with the steps.
- Plan the timeframe. The dough needs to chill and be blind-baked, the filling needs to be prepared, and the quiche has to bake and cool. All of this takes time, so plan accordingly.
- Mise en Place — have everything in its place. This French culinary term is the key to success. You should have all your ingredients prepped, measured, and ready to go. The cheese should be grated, the lemon should be zested, the asparagus should be cooked, and the herbs should be chopped. Having everything prepped and ready to go makes for a seamless process.
- Crust Overhang. When you first bake the crust, make sure you have a good amount of the crust hanging over the rim of the ring. As the crust bakes, it shrinks. The overhang will ensure that you have a good amount of height and a solid border to hold the custard.
- Make it with Love. No matter how hard you try, sometimes things don’t turn out the way you expected. This has happened to me many times, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Your mom will love it because you put effort into making something for her — not because of how perfect it turned out. <3
Love You, Mom
Sometimes we forget that not everyone is lucky enough to have a good relationship with their mom, so let’s show our moms and motherly figures how much we appreciate them! I know this Spring Onion Quiche may seem intimidating if you’re less experienced or have never made a quiche before, but give it a go! Alternatively, I also have a great Lemon Poppyseed Pancake recipe that you can serve with my Strawberry Mint Compote. This recipe screams spring as equally as this Spring Onion Quiche!
Please let me know if you tried any of these recipes for Mother’s Day! I wish you luck on your culinary pursuits for this holiday! Mother, I love you and thank you for always supporting and loving me. I wish we could be together to celebrate this day as a family, but rest assured, you are in for a splendid treat! Thank you all for joining me today, and I’ll catch you in my next post!
Spring Onion Quiche
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Cold Unsalted Butter (2 sticks cut into small cubes)
- ¼ cup Cold Water
For the Filling
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Shallot (finely chopped)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 ½ cups Chopped Asparagus (ends trimmed and sliced into ¼ inch long pieces)
- ¾ cup Sliced Spring Onions or Green Onions
- ¼ cup Chopped Chives
- 1 tbsp Chopped Dill
- 1 tbsp Chopped Tarragon
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 6 Large Eggs
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 3/4 cup Grated Gruyere Cheese
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
For the Crust:
- In a stand mixer, combine 1 cup of the flour and kosher salt. Mix until the salt is mixed into the flour. Start the mixer low speed and add in the cold pieces of butter. Mix the ingredients until the butter has broken down to pea size pieces. Add in the remaining 1 cup of flour and mix until it has blended in. Pour in the cold water and mix until the dough comes together. Transfer the dough onto a clean surface. Combine it into a ball then flatten it into disk. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for about 1 hour or overnight.
- Spray the inside of the ring of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and leave the clasp unlocked. We will not be using the bottom plate of the springform pan. Place the ring onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Once the dough has chilled, dust a clean surface with flour. Unwrap the dough from the plastic wrap and place it on the floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 16 inch round. Re-flour the dough and surface if the dough becomes sticky. If the dough becomes too soft and sticky, place it in the freezer to chill for a few minutes.
- Fold the dough into quarters. Place the corner part of the quarter fold at the center of the ring then unfold the dough. Lift the edges of the dough so that it drapes into the ring. Gently press the dough into the bottom edges of the ring and up the sides of the pan. You want to have about 1 inch of dough overhanging the top of the ring. Save any dough scraps for later. Place the sheet tray with the ring into the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325˚F. When the dough has chilled, line the inside of the ring with parchment paper. Completely fill the center with pie weights or dried rice or beans. Place sheet tray into the oven to par-bake the crust for 30-40 minutes or until the crust becomes lightly golden at the edges. Remove the sheet tray from the oven and lift the edges of the parchment paper to carefully remove the pie weights or beans from the ring. Place the sheet tray back into the oven to allow the crust to finish baking for about 10-15 minutes. When the crust is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for a bit. Check to see if your crust has any holes. Use the leftover dough scraps to fill these areas. Set aside
For the Quiche
- Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the olive oil. When the pan is hot, add in the shallots and garlic. Sauté until the shallot turns translucent then add in the asparagus. Season with ¼ teaspoon each of kosher salt and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until the asparagus is tender and bright green Set it aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together until they are well blended. Add in the sautéed asparagus and shallots, spring onions, chives, dill, tarragon, lemon zest, whole milk, heavy cream, gruyere cheese, kosher salt, and black pepper. Mix until everything is well combined then pour it into the crust.
- Place the quiche into the oven at 325˚F and backe for about 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The quiche should be golden brown on top and slightly jiggly at the center. When the quiche has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature. Do not cut the quiche soon after removing it from the oven because it is still very soft in the center and has not set.
- Once the quiche has cooled, run a serrated knife flush to the top of the ring pan to cut off the overhang of crust. Lift the ring up and off the quiche, running a knife along the edges to help loosen it if needed. Enjoy!
