|
I don't know if any of my techniques necessarily make a great quiche, though. I used a lot of vegetables, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, onions and mushrooms if I had them. All chopped pretty small. I cooked the vegetables first in a steamer, starting with the carrots, then adding the onions, then the broccoli, then the zucchini and then the mushrooms at the last minute. So the vegetables are pretty much cooked before they even go into the quiche.
I would bake the crust a few minutes by itself too. Then let it cool a bit and dust it with a tiny bit of flour to make a buffer to soak up any excess moisture from the filling. I like Swiss cheese for it, but Monterey Jack is fine, or whatever cheese you really like is ok. I would mix together the steamed vegetables and the shredded cheese, then put it in the pan on top of the crust. You can almost fill the whole pan with the vegetables, and there will still be room between them for the liquid.
I would then mix up the liquid ingredients, mainly eggs and either cream or canned milk (I usually used the latter), and whatever seasonings. Then I would pour that on top of the vegetables but save the last bit to pour in after the pan is on the rack in the oven. I would put a light dusting of nutmeg as the last thing before baking it. After it has been baked, I usually sprinkled a dusting of "Spike," a seasoned salt from Gaylord Hauser foods, or any similar seasoning salt that has a green, herbal tint to it would be fine.
I think it has to cool all the way to cold before it can be sliced. In fact I think it is better to turn off the oven, and just leave it in the oven without moving it until it has cooled to room temperature, rather than move it around when it is still hot. You can't cut it while it is still warm, or you will make a sloppy mess of it. You can then refrigerate it, and when you want to eat a slice, you can warm it up easily in the microwave. I think it is better if it is chilled first and then reheated, as it becomes more solid when it is chilled. Same thing for lasagna - I think it is much better in texture the next day, after it has been chilled and rewarmed, compared to the slippery, squishy texture it has when it first comes out of the oven.
Regarding the "egginess," the eggs serve as a binder to hold the whole filling together, but they do not have to be the main feature of the quiche. You can get quite a bit of vegetables in there without it falling apart later. The longer it bakes, the less "eggy" it will taste later on. So you might consider a longer baking time, with a lower temperature. This will also help reduce the chance of burning on the top and edges. I also make flan from time to time, and I bake it for about 90 minutes at a lower temperature, and that helps get rid of the egginess it might have if baked for a shorter time. I don't know why this is so, but I guess maybe some of the sulfur bakes out and the longer it bakes, the more sulfur is expelled. But you should turn down the temperature and check it every few minutes toward the end. It is done when a knife or toothpick stuck in it comes out clean.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
