I like quiche because you can serve it any time of day. It’s very likely that you have everything on hand to make it, and you can add almost anything you want to it. Just be sure that whatever vegetables you use are squeezed and drained of their liquid before adding them to the filling or the quiche will be soggy.
The buttery pâte brisée pastry shell that is used here can be prebaked up to a day ahead. Don’t be afraid of baking an already golden brown pie crust for a second time. The difference in flavor from a too-light crust will change your mind on the subject! Once the quiche filling is added, the crust won’t burn; it will simply become a deep, beautifully burnished brown with a delicious toasted flavor.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces wild mushrooms (such as morel, porcini, or
- chanterelle) or button or cremini mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 0.5 cup finely minced shallot
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 0.75 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 5 eggs
- 0.25 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- 0.25 cup finely minced chives
- 1 pâte brisée shell, prebaked
- 2½ ounces cave-aged Gruyère or extra-sharp Cheddar
- cheese, finely grated on a Microplane grater
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Clean the mushrooms (see Notes here and here) and slice into ⅛-inch pieces. Cook the mushrooms in two batches to avoid crowding in the pan. Heat a black steel pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter melts, add ¼ cup of the shallot and sweat for 1 to 2 minutes, until just translucent. Add half of the mushrooms and season with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir until the mushrooms start to color on their edges and the moisture they release evaporates. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook and stir until completely soft and beginning to get some golden color, 6 to 7 minutes. In the final 30 to 60 seconds, add the sherry and let it cook out. Set the mushrooms aside on a plate to cool, and repeat with the remaining mushrooms, butter, shallot, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. When the mushrooms are cool enough to handle, gather them into a kitchen towel or place them in a fine-mesh strainer and squeeze out the liquid. Finely chop the mushrooms and set aside. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk vigorously until slightly foamy, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1¼ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, the nutmeg, milk, cream, and chives and whisk for 15 seconds to combine.
- Place the prebaked quiche shell, in its pan, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the cheese in an even layer on the bottom of the shell. Add the mushrooms in an even layer and press them gently into the crust. Carefully pour in the egg mixture to just below the top of the quiche shell. Put the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and pour the last bit of egg mixture into the shell (so you don’t spill while moving the quiche to the oven).
- Bake until the quiche has puffed slightly and the top is golden brown and set in the middle, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the quiche from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Use a small, sharp knife to cut any excess crust level with the top of the quiche pan; cut by pushing from the inside out (with the handle of the knife hovering over the filling), so the crumbs fall on the countertop instead of into the quiche.
- Let the quiche rest at room temperature for 2 hours before serving. Carefully remove the outer ring of the quiche pan. Slice the quiche into 8 pieces and serve.
