Recipe constructed from referring to various sources and through experience.
This recipe uses milk and either yogurt or cream. 1 1/2 hr+ for crust, 20-30min baking. Note that the custard and filling prep can be done while the dough is resting and during the pre-bake.
About 15-20 min prep, 45 min rest/chilling, 30 min roll-out and pre-bake.
Equipment
| 7+ oz | flour |
| 4 | butter, chilled or cool |
| 1 ea | egg yolk (or use the whole egg, chilled) |
| ¾ tsp | Salt |
| 3 T | cold water (only if not using a whole egg) |
Preheat the oven to 425° F.
Mix the flour and salt in a largish bowl.
Cut the butter into ~1/2" cubes: Quarter the stick lengthwise into slabs. Dust the slabs w/flour and stack. Quarter lengthwise again into sticks, flour. Cut crossways into cubes.
Drop some butter cubes into the flour, separating and then mixing to coat w/flour. Repeat until all the butter cubes are in the flour.
I leave the flour/butter in the bowl and use a pastry cutter instead of a food processor because it leaves less stuff to clean and helps to avoid overworking the dough. But to each his own. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until only pea sized butter bits remain, clear the cutter frequently with a table knife or the like. 5-7 min
Break the egg into a small bowl or glass. If only using the yolk, separate the egg and just add the yolk and water to the bowl. Whisk to mix.
Make a depression in the middle of the flour in the bowl and pour in the yolk/water mixture.Using a serving fork or wooden spoon, etc, mix the flour until it comes together in a shaggy ball/mass. 5-6 min
Press the dough into a ball and take to a floured board. Dust the ball with flour, flatten with your palms by pressing forward, fold in half, turn 90° and do again. Repeat several times to smear the butter out and create a flakey crust. 5-7 min.
Make into a ball, flatten into a 6" or so diameter disk, put in a plastic bag and chill for ¾hr or more.
Roll out the chilled dough to fit a tart or pie dish, with enough to go over the edge to prevent/reduce slump. Place rolled dough in the dish and form a nice crust edge (presentation matters ;-). If you need to patch the crust, wet (with a wet finger) the area around where the patch goes to help adhesion. Poke the bottom with a fork to release steam during pre-baking. It's useful to put weights in to keep the bottom down - e.g., a piece of foil to cover the bottom with the corners up (a shallow bowl shape) with dried beans in it for weights). Pre (blind)-bake for 12-15 min. until set, not to brown crust. Remove from the oven and if using foil/beans, just grab the foil corners and remove the 'bowl'.
| ½ C | plain yogurt or cream |
| 1 C | milk |
| 3 ea | eggs (1 per ½ C liquid) |
| ½ C | grated cheese (cheddar, gruyere, ... something flavorful) |
| to taste | spices - salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, ... |
Mix liquids and eggs together well (whisk - but be careful not to foam it up). Add cheese and spices. Mix gently.
Add various fillings as desired, 1 to 2 cups worth Note: Avoid vegetables with a high moisture content such as tomatoes (dried ok), zuchini, etc unless you prepare them in a way that reduces their propensity to weep during cooking.
Reduce or re-heat oven to 375°
Put the quiche dish on a cookie/baking sheet to catch drips/spills. Spread prepared filling items in the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Do a last minute mix of the custard and then pour into the crust, topping as desired.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the custard has set, but not quite solid. Take out and let rest for 10min or so. Serve warm (best) or room temperature.