French classics: what is quiche

An open pie with savory insides came to us from French cuisine, although the name was taken from German cooks, because in German the pie sounds like “kuchen”. How does this appetizing dish differ from ordinary pies, and how can you prepare a quiche pie at home if you have never seen or tried it? Read our article and you will get answers to all your questions.

Pie from leftover dough: a story of German ingenuity

The base for the quiche is made from chopped dough, filled with a mixture of eggs, cream, milk and cheese with the addition of smoked brisket. The history of quiche pie is very fascinating and unusual. This dish was first prepared in the French province of Lorraine, bordering Germany. The area given to us was inhabited by Germans who were constantly distinguished by their thriftiness and never threw away the remains of bread dough. They baked a delicious pie, combining bread with sausage, meat trimmings, bacon and vegetables, topped it all with beaten eggs, and later served a hearty dish. The French, appropriating the quiche recipe for themselves, added certain changes to it. They added a lot of cheese to the dish, and instead of yeast dough they used shortbread dough. After modernization, the pie began to be called “quiche Laurent” - after the name of the province, because in French it sounds like “Laurent”. There is another version of the pie - Alsatian quiche with the addition of onions, as well as fish, mushroom and even berry and fruit quiches.

How to cook quiche? We share the secrets of making dough

Usually, for quiche, dough similar to shortbread is kneaded, but due to a different manufacturing technology, a new dish comes out. The dough is made from diced butter, which is mixed with sifted flour until crumbly. An egg, salt and a small amount of ice water are also added to it. Some quiche recipes do not contain eggs, but you can add a little sugar for a special taste. The dough does not need to be heated until it is baked, so it is always kept in the refrigerator. This is done so that the grains of butter, which give the quiche a special taste, do not melt. For this reason, the dough is put in the cold twice - after rolling and after placing it in the mold.

The finished dough is wrapped in film and sent to the refrigerator. Then it is distributed into a mold with high sides, the filling is laid out and the pie is baked in the oven. From time to time, the dough base is baked first and only later is it filled with entrails.

The dough made with sour cream with the addition of butter, eggs, salt and flour is no less tasty. Curd dough for quiche is very soft, tender and crumbly, and it is prepared from cottage cheese, butter, salt and flour. The ingredients for the dough can be beaten with a blender so that it comes out homogeneous and smooth.

Quiche pie innards

Quiche pie can be made with various insides. You can use traditional recipes or use your imagination, following the example of German housewives. They put into this pie everything that was in their refrigerator or was left over from a previous meal.

Quiche pie with chicken and mushrooms is very tasty, but you can replace the chicken with ham and add onions. The successful combination of tomatoes, cheese and basil is a traditional Italian interior. Onions with sour cream and nutmeg - very French. The pie with zucchini, mozzarella and leek has a special taste, and the quiche with green beans, cherry tomatoes, green peas and goat cheese is perfect for a summer lunch.

One of the most delicious interiors is Roquefort, Brie and Chevre cheeses mixed together. Figs and blue cheese, broccoli and salmon are perfectly mixed together, and the interior with spinach, potatoes and anchovies will appeal to lovers of simple and savory food.

The traditional filling is eggs and cream, which can be seasoned with nutmeg or mustard. The filling of eggs, rich sour cream, spicy cheese and herbs has a very unusual and pleasant taste. Some housewives combine cream, milk and sour cream, experiment with seasonings and each time get a new taste for the dish. Observe the proportions when making the filling - take 120 ml of cream or milk for 1 egg. This is important so that the inside does not spill and comes out thick.

Step-by-step quiche recipe with photos for your first experience

Let's try to prepare a traditional German quiche pie according to the usual recipe. You will spend very little time on this and will amaze not only your guests, but also yourself.

Quiche with sorrel, blue cheese and pepper

This extraordinary quiche with a narrow and unique taste is perfect for a gala lunch or dinner. It will be appreciated by gourmets with good taste.

Mix 250 g of sifted flour with a pinch of salt, grate 125 g of chilled butter on a large grater and mix with flour. Also add 1 chilled egg, 3 tbsp. l. ice water and a pinch of salt. Knead an elastic dough, form a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

At this time, simmer in 2 tbsp. l. butter 400 g sorrel without stems. When you get a homogeneous mass that resembles puree, season it with black pepper and salt.

Roll out the dough to the size of a slightly larger shape with a diameter of 18–20 cm, place it on the bottom of the mold and form the sides, and later make several punctures with a fork. Mix the sorrel with 200ml heavy cream and 2 lightly beaten eggs. Place the sorrel filling in the mold, cut the large reddish pepper without seeds into thin slices on top and sprinkle the quiche with 100 g of blue cheese, crushed with a fork.

Bake the pie at 180°C for half an hour and enjoy this delicious snack!

Frisky quiche with tuna and broccoli

If you don’t have time to keep the dough in the oven for a long time, you can prepare quiche according to a quick recipe. You just need to eat very chilled foods and hurry so that they don’t heat up.

Mix 200 g flour and 100 g cool butter, cut into cubes. Chop the flour and butter with a knife until small crumbs form. Now add 1 egg, a pinch of salt and 4 tbsp to the dough. l. cool milk. Knead the dough very quickly so that the butter does not have time to melt.

Roll out the dough, distribute it into the mold, make sides and prick the dough with a fork. For the inside, mix a can of mashed canned tuna and 150 g of cream cheese. Place the first layer of insides on the quiche base. Place 100 g of thawed broccoli in a second layer. Fresh cabbage should be blanched for 4 minutes before baking.

3rd layer - 3 finely chopped tomatoes and 3 sprigs of chopped onion.

To fill, beat 2 eggs with 250 ml of milk, add 1 tbsp. l. flour, 0.5 tsp. Provençal herbs, a pinch of salt and freshly ground dark pepper. Add 50 g of grated cheese and pour the mixture over the vegetables. Bake at 200°C for 30–40 minutes.

This easy recipe is sure to please your friends and family!

Quiche with raspberries, ricotta and almonds

Sweet quiche is a wonderful dessert for evening tea, when you can invite guests and enjoy pleasant communication.

Knead the dough from 140 g of cool butter grated on a large grater, 280 g of sifted flour and 8 tbsp. l. ice water. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in cellophane and leave it in the refrigerator for an hour. After this, roll out the dough, place it in a mold, raise the sides, make punctures with a fork and bake the quiche base at 190°C for 25 minutes.

At this time, beat 2 eggs, mix with 150 g of crumbled ricotta, 200 ml of heavy cream and a chopped bunch of mint, add 1 tbsp. l. watery honey.

Place 300 g of fresh raspberries and a handful of almonds on the cooled shortbread, pour over the cooked entrails.

Place the pie back in the oven and bake at the same temperature for about 35-40 minutes. Decorate the finished quiche with fresh raspberries.

During the tasting, you will understand that nuts, sweet berries and cheese are the perfect combination for quiche!

Quiche is a pie that you will never get tired of. It can be eaten cold or hot for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and can be taken to work or on a picnic. This pie can be an ordinary snack on the daily menu or a celebratory dish. A versatile and tasty quiche will amuse your family more than once and help you meet unexpected guests. Cook it more often and it will turn out better and better!

Quiche Lauren

Now I offer you a recipe for a traditional French open pie - the same one that recently appeared on my Instagram. This is a good option for breakfast or for a lunch snack. The inside contains nothing superfluous: eggs, cream and bacon. In the traditional version, cheese is not added to the quiche Laurent, but I took such a liberty and sprinkled the top of the pie with grated cheese.

Quiche is served hot or warm, but personally I find it even tastier when eaten cool. Therefore, I advise you to try both options and choose your own

Ingredients for a 23-27 cm pan:

Dough

Interior

Making recipe:

Prepare the dough. To do this, put flour, salt, sugar and cool butter cut into cubes into a blender bowl. Chop until you get fatty crumbs.

Add water and knead the dough very quickly. Do not knead for too long, otherwise the butter will melt and the dough will turn out woody.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film and put it in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes.

Remove the chilled dough from the film and roll it out into a layer 4-5 mm wide. Place it in the mold (no need to grease it), press it against the sides with your fingers. We remove the excess.

Place a sheet of foil on the surface of the dough and pour a load (beans, peas or rice) on top.

Place in the oven preheated to 180 degrees and bake for 7 minutes. We take it out, remove the foil with the weight, and prick the bottom with a fork. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.

Take it out again and leave it. We don't turn off the oven.

While the base is baking, cut the bacon into cubes. Fry in a dry frying pan, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes.

Lightly beat the eggs with the cream using a whisk. Salt to taste.

Place the fried brisket on the base.

Fill with creamy egg mixture and sprinkle with grated cheese (if using).

Place in the oven and bake until the filling is set and the top is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Quiche Lauren: traditional and unique recipes

Quiche Laurent is a French dish that is an open-faced puff pastry pie with a hearty interior filled with eggs and cream. The inside can be meat or vegetarian.

Quiche Lauren is most conveniently prepared in a removable baking dish: this way the chances of the pie falling apart are minimized.

The corresponding highlight of the pie: the dough for it is kneaded without adding sugar or yeast. It comes out unsweetened, does not rise and does not overwhelm the taste of the inside.

Lauren's traditional quiche recipe

This is the most common method for making Laurent Quiche. The highlight of the traditional recipe is Swiss Gruyère cheese, which has a spicy aroma and nutty taste. Among Russian cheeses, its worthy analogue is Altai cheese.

Ingredients:

a glass of wheat flour;
125 g butter 82.5%;
1 testicle;
200 g smoked pork belly;
180 ml cream 20%;
30 ml vegetable oil;
150 g cheese;
3 eggs for filling;
salt to taste.

The butter should not be melted, but grated when cooled - the dough will be the most tender

Sequencing:

Add a couple of pinches of salt to the flour, combine with butter, and break an egg into it. If the dough is very stiff, add 2-3 tbsp. l. ice water. Roll the finished dough into a ball and let it stand in a cold place for at least half an hour.
Cut the brisket into strips and fry in vegetable oil.
Beat 3 eggs until stiff, add cream and beat again. Salt the mixture and add nutmeg. Grate the cheese on a large grater.
Roll out the dough, place it in a previously greased pan, and form sides. The dough layer should be approximately 0.7 cm thick. Cover the base with parchment paper and place the beans on top. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and beans.
Place the brisket on the prepared base, add 2/3 of the grated cheese and pour the egg-cream mixture over it.
Bake the pie at 200°C for 15 minutes, 5-7 minutes before the end of baking, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Quiche Lauren is served hot. From the indicated amount of components you will get about 5 servings.

French recipes: quiche Laurent and 3 more traditional pies

This divinely delicious pie is very easy to create. And you will like the result so much that you will not stop until you try them all.

1. Quiche Lauren

Ingredients: 250 g flour; 160 g butter, chilled; 1 testicle; 1 pinch of salt; 100 g bacon, cubes; a little butter for frying; 1 leek; 4 huge testicles; 250 ml cream; 1 pinch of pepper; a little flour for the work surface.

Dough:

Place a mound of flour on the work surface. Create a hole in the middle and break one testicle inside. Add chilled butter there. Knead the dough quickly. Wrap it in cling film and leave it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Interior:

Fry the bacon, cut into cubes, lightly in butter.
Chop the leek and fry it in a frying pan along with the bacon.
At this time, roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a work surface, having previously sprinkled it with flour. Place the rolled out dough into a baking pan and press down firmly.
Mix the eggs and cream in a container along with the leeks, peppers and bacon and place on the dough. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes at 180°C (mode: top and bottom heating).

Original recipe: Chefkoch.de.

2. Quiche with salmon and broccoli

Ingredients: 250 g flour; 120 g butter; 1 tsp. salt; 4 tbsp. l. water; 375 g salmon; 500 g broccoli; 4 testicles; 150 g cream cheese; 250 g sour cream; salt and pepper to taste.

Dough:

Interior:

Cut the salmon into thin slices.
Beat the eggs and mix them with cream cheese, salt and pepper.
Roll out the dough and place it in a greased baking dish. Press down the edges and create several holes on the bottom using a fork.
Place broccoli and salmon on the dough and pour the egg and cheese mixture over them. Bake in a previously preheated oven at 200°C for 35-40 minutes, then turn off the heat and toss the quiche inside for another 10 minutes.

Original recipe: Chefkoch.de.

3. Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients: 250 g flour; 75 g butter; 1 pinch of salt; 3 tbsp. l. water; 4 testicles; 400 g champignons; 1 onion; 1 tbsp. l. butter; 125 g sour cream; 1 tbsp. l. parsley; salt and pepper to taste.

Dough:

Interior:

Cut the champignons into thin slices.
Peel the onion and cut into small cubes.
Melt 1 tbsp in a frying pan. l. butter and fry the mushrooms and onions until the onions become translucent.
Beat the remaining eggs and mix them with sour cream. Add chopped parsley, salt and pepper. When the mushrooms have cooled slightly, add them to the mixture.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place in a baking dish (preferably a special form for quiche). Pierce the bottom with a fork.
Place the mold (dough without the inside) in a hot oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Then take out the mold and put the filling on the dough. Reduce the temperature to 180 °C and bake the quiche for another 20-25 minutes.

Original recipe: Chefkoch.de.

4. Potato quiche

Ingredients: 250 g shortcrust pastry; 75 g cheese (Gruyère), grated; 2 tbsp. l. butter; 5 huge onions; 500 g boiled potatoes; 250 ml cream; salt; pepper; nutmeg.

Dough:

Interior:

Heat the oil in a frying pan, first cut the onions into halves, then chop them into strips or half rings, place them in the pan and fry them for 25 minutes over low heat. Add pepper, salt and cool.
Cut the boiled potatoes into thin slices.
Roll out the dough and put it in a baking dish, greasing it with oil beforehand. Prick the bottom with a fork and sprinkle grated Gruyère on top.
Place onions on the dough, then potatoes in layers. Pour cream with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bake at 220°C for 30 minutes.