Your all-time favorite quiche recipe? (vegetarian, plz)

[mtm]

Looking for something very tasty...
perhaps creative, or slightly out of the norm.

Going to a late Easter brunch (2pm)...so if it's somewhat
more 'dinner'-ish in flavors, that's fine too.

We're vegetarian ourselves (hubby & me)...others will be having ham,
I believe. If it would go w/ham...all the better for the others! We do do all dairy products...
but no fish/meats.

I know I've enjoyed quiches at restaurants w/potatoes in them...
so that might be nice. I haven't made a homemade crust in AGES.
Anyone have an easy substitute...favorite brand of pre-made crusts
that they use? I'm okay w/taking that short-cut...but otherwise,
would like to make my own quiche vs. merely purchasing elsewhere.
Thanks so much! I feel like I need to do a really great job with this...
will be w/a mix of people. (not as casual as w/family)
Appreciate it. :-)

[ali patts]

I know it's too late for easter but raosted peppers and black olives make a really good veggie quiche. My personal favourite is Lorraine but if you have to do a veggie version...

[mtm]

Thanks you guys! I'm still reading this thread for future ideas, too!
Appreciate all the wonderful tips!! :-)

Oh & lagatta...how did yours turn out? :-)

[piccola]

I usually make crustless quiche, so I can't help you for that. But for fillings, here are my fave combos:

roasted butternut squash cubes and wild mushrooms
roasted cauliflower and black olives
braised fennel and feta
caramelized onions and apples

[chef chicklet]

Grilled mushroom, asparagus, leeks, fressh grilled whole garlic, then sliced, and red onion with fontina, cheddar and monterey with a pate brise crust. Put it in a 9 in spring form and afte baking on a cake plate with pedastal for a wonderful presentataion.

[lagatta]

Sorry to be a pedant (an occupational hazard for us translators), but there is no such thing as crustless quiche. The similar dish with no crust is called a sformato.

[piccola]

Not necessarily. A sformato is usually cooked in a water bath. A crustless quiche is just baked in a pie pan (usually a buttered and crumb-coated one).

[lagatta]

I grated some dried feta cheese and will make a sort of quiche-like tart - am wondering whether a red onion tart would be too sweet? I don't want to mix in too many flavours but something that would add a counterpoint - perhaps chop some arugula, or add some of the thai basil I have (I'm really trying to do something incorporating what I have in the house)...

[lagatta]

I made the red-onion and roquette (aragula) thing - it looks good - we'll see tomorrow.

[mtm]

How did it turn out? Did you love it? :-)

[RGR]

If I'm not making my own, my preference for a pre-made crust would be the ones from Delicious Orchards, a country market in Holmdel, NJ. For brands carried in supermarkets, Orenoke is my top choice.

[mtm]

Thanks so much, RGR. I'm not sure whether we have that brand here...

[RGR]

If you can't find Orenoke, Pet-Ritz is a more than decent alternative and is probably more readily available.

[fwalsifer]

Just a note--Delicious Orchards is in Colts Neck NJ...not Holmdel

[ballulah]

I wish I could remember the name of the frozen crust I like to use, I'm sorry on that count! As for the quiche filling itself I like to saute wild mushrooms with leeks and shallots with fresh thyme, layer that on the bottom of a pie crust. Take a small log of goat cheese (I use plain chevre for this, not the garlic and herb or peppered ones, they tend to take over the flavor of the mushrooms) and break it into small pieces over the mushroom mixture. Vigorous fork whisk 6-8 eggs with some buttermilk, salt and pepper, until the egg coats the back of the fork. Pour the egg over the filling and bake until the eggs puff up and set, and the top turns nice and golden.

[lagatta]

I don't really use recipes for quiches and most savoury tarts, though I do read them for ideas. I made a lovely tart with artichokes not long ago - used tinned chokes - also well-drained ones in jars, various kinds of goat cheese (I don't eat cow's milk) we get many kinds of goat's cheeses here, not just the fresh one English-speaking people call "chèvre"... And some freshly chopped flat-leaved (Italian) parsley, of course.

I make a yeasted olive-oil crust, from Deborah Madison's "vegetarian cooking for everyone" - I can make it without a recipe now, but if you want the precise proportions, google yeasted olive oil crust (or dough) and Deborah Madison.

[mtm]

lagatta...the crust sounds difficult...is it?
I have that book, btw, so will look it up. Thanks! :-)

Was hoping for confirmation of whether certain recipes
are worthwhile or not...the tried & true ones for you all,
so that's why I came here. Thanks for pointing me back at a book I own. :-D
Good to know there's a winner crust there.

Re: goat cheeses...do you mean you have more sliceable goat cheeses there?
We have that too, but more people use the fresh kind. I enjoy both.

[lagatta]

I make bread and pizza, so for me the crust is easy. Working with yeast sometimes takes a bit of practice, but with a crust, it obviously doesn't have to rise a lot! I like it because I can use wholegrain organic flour - wholegrain really doesn't work with a short crust. The egg and olive oil makes it very pliable - I have also made empanadas and calzones with that.

Yes, we have all kinds of goat cheeses, not just the fresh, soft kind called "chèvre" in English. You may find many if you have an Italian, Spanish or other Mediterranean cheese shop (or grocery) where you live.

[mtm]

ballulah...sounds scrumptious! Any idea how much buttermilk you use?
Buttermilk seems unusual, doesn't it? I wonder how it alters the general recipes that use cream or just plain milk? (lighter, I guess?) I love chevre, btw,
and all the veggies you mentioned.

Frozen crust...I generally find refrigerated ones.
However, I did see a frozen one at Whole Foods once for $12, I think?
Seemed expensive at the time, but...I wonder if it could be the same
as you've had? (and that its crust is actually worth that price?)

[ballulah]

How much buttermilk I add depends on how many eggs I use and how big the eggs are. I just sort of eyeball it, unfortunately. I happen to just be a huge huge fan of the taste and texture of buttermilk and use it as a sub in a lot of recipes that ask for cream or half and half or milk...the added bonus is that is is lighter, but I like the taste better. I'm guessing I use slightly less than a 1-to-1 substitute, since it's so thick. It does add a bit to the density of the finished quiche, but I found I liked that too.

And I just buy whatever frozen pie crust is available in the grocery store closest to my house, which is by no means fancy or well stocked. I was lucky that the only one available happened to be quite flaky and delicious. I think it was in the $6-7 range, and I think that was for 2 crusts.

[likaluca]

The crust you saw at WhoFo was Dufour, most likely, I find it to be infinitely superior to the Pepperidge Farm ones you see in most groceries -- its better because they actually use butter and not Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening. I find it completely worth the money. I hardly use it since I always make my own, but if I have last minute guests--I always have some on hand to use in a pinch. It is a very good replacement for the homemade real-deal.

[Emme]

Mine's pretty close to this, except I saute the mushrooms w/ marsala as well. Sometimes I add in crushed walnuts and sundried tomatoes. Instead of goat cheese, I use Jarlsberg and sometimes parmesan on top.

[funkymonkey]

I'm a huge fan of Mollie Katzen's Mushroom quiche from the Moosewood Cookbook (which, by the way, is a fantastic vegetarian cookbook. definitely worth adding to your collection.) if you google "Mollie Katzen", "Mushroom Quiche", the recipe will turn up. (i'm hesitant to cut and paste, because of all those sticky copyright issues.) it's fantastic with a mix of mushrooms, like shiitake and crimini.

[mtm]

funkymonkey...I have used this book in the past after borrowing from the library,
but it's been ages. I did xerox a Vegetable Stew recipe from that book
that is just phenomenal! So, I guess I should have gotten back to trying more of it.
One concern...it was the earlier days of vegetarianism...so some recipes
could perhaps be too rich for someone needing to slim down, like myself. (have 30 lbs to lose) I'm not concerned about that for Easter...just mean, in general for day to day recipes...if there's no nutritional info w/the recipes, sometimes I'm a little concerned.

[funkymonkey]

i hear ya, sister. her recipes can be a bit cheese heavy, although the version of the book i have is "revised" and there are lots of dairy-free recipes. i have actually made this quiche recipe using that "skim plus" milk and low-fat cheese, and it was still pretty tasty.

i do have to add that i'm not even remotely a vegetarian, and this is one of my favorite cookbooks (maybe i'm just a sucker for the homespun handwriting thing?).

[eLizard]

leek quiche from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I have extra pate brisee in the freezer and some leeks in the fridge. May just make some tonight!!! if you want the recipe, i can get it to you in a paraphrased version when i get home from work tonight.

[accecil]

I also love Julia Child's leek quiche, but the best thing about the recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking is the plain, elegant and completely understandable way that she describes the process of making quiche and especially pate brisee. It was one of the first recipes that I made as a stroppy teenager and, despite my teenaged indifference, it still worked. I'd use her basic recipe and then add whatever you like. She gives guidelines for all sorts of eventualities.

[mtm]

accecil...2 votes for Julia! Definitely will have to try!!

[mtm]

eLizard...I'll try to find Julia's recipe online. Do you make yours plain,
or change it around a lot as mentioned below? I'm a bit concerned about
making the crust myself primarily due to time constraints this weekend.

Would making the quiche the night before & then re-heating day of the
brunch work alright? Make cook just partway?

[eLizard]

This is too late, so I apologize. When I make only the leek quiche, I don't deviate from the recipe. That being said, I do use that recipe as a guideline when it's time to clean out the fridge.... i see a ham and asparagus quiche in my future! The crust is easy, but you could use a storebought, i'm sure. And as far as making it in advance, I think quiche is the perfect food for brunch. Make it the night before, and the next morning either let it come to and serve at room temperature or heat it.

[lollya]

here's my favorite recipe, from my grouprecipes page. it's easy to change up, feel free
http://www.grouprecipes.com/2765/the-...
lollya

[mtm]

Thanks so much lollya . Looks interesting!
Don't you miss the crust at all? (having it only sort of mixed in?)
Does it come off more like a torta...or an extra rich quiche
sans crust? Intrigued. :-)

[lollya]

um - actually i like it much better this way (but that's me) i'm not a big eggy fan - so this makes it light and fluffy like scrambled eggs (sorta) but in the consistency and structure of a quiche...try it out sometime (even if you don't for this one) and let me know what you think! i find them just as striking in beauty.