Asparagus and Cheese Quiche

I love quiche. It feels fancy and decadent but also light at the same time. It can be made ahead and makes a great brunch centerpiece or a simple weeknight dinner.

This quiche is filled with asparagus and swiss cheese. 

How do you make quiche?

Quiche is not hard to make. Pie crust is blind baked (to keep it crisp and not soggy.) Then you fill the crust with fillings (in this case swiss cheese and asparagus) and top with a custard made of eggs and dairy. I like to use half and half, but you could use heavy cream or whole milk. Heavy cream makes a very decadent custard and whole milk makes a slightly leaner and lighter custard. Half and half is the perfect middle. 

How do you make a quiche with a crisp crust and no soggy bottom?

To prevent a soggy bottom and get a crisp crust on your quiche you want to blind bake your crust. That means you are baking the crust for 15 minutes before adding the fillings and custard.

How to par bake a pie crust.

What is the best cheese for quiche?

You can use any cheese you like, but gruyere or swiss cheese are both commonly used in quiche. You could also use cheddar. I like swiss here because it is easier to find and less expensive than gruyere and it stands up well to the earthy asparagus. 

What is blanching and why do you blanch the asparagus?

Blanching is a technique where vegetables are quickly cooked in boiling salted water and then added to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. (We skip the ice bath in this recipe.)

I like to blanch the asparagus to help it keep a bright green color and to season it well with the salt. If you skip the blanching step the asparagus will not have great flavor and will not maintain the bright green color.

Do you cook quiche covered or uncovered?

I cook quiche uncovered. If the crust starts to get too brown, you can cover the outside of the crust with a ring of foil.

Asparagus and Cheese Quiche

Yield: 1 quiche

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This simple quiche is perfect for the spring! Filled with asparagus, swiss cheese, and a creamy custard this quiche is perfect for a special brunch or light dinner.

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Ingredients

• 1 9 inch Frozen Pie Crust
• 1 Pound Asparagus
• 2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 Cup chopped onion (from one small onion)
• 4 Ounces shredded Swiss Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
• 4 Eggs
• 1 Cup Half and Half Cream (or whole milk, see note.)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Par Bake the Crust

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line the frozen pie crust with a piece of parchment paper. Add pie weights or dried beans over the parchment paper. (This prevents the crust from slumping as it par-bakes.)
3. Bake the crust for 15 minutes then remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the Veggies

1. While the crust is par baking, bring a quart of water to a boil.
2. Cut the woody stems off the bottom of the asparagus. Reserve 4-6 spears of asparagus whole for garnish. Cut the remaining asparagus into 1 inch pieces.
3. Add 2 Tablespoons of salt to the boiling water, stir to dissolve and then add the asparagus pieces and the whole asparagus to the salted water and cook for two minutes.
4. Drain the asparagus and set aside.
5. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
6. Gently sauté the onions until translucent but not brown. (about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble and Bake the Quiche

1. Remove the parchment and pie weights or beans from the crust.
2. In a small bowl, mix the flour with the swiss cheese.
3. Spread half of the cheese and flour on the bottom of the crust.
4. Top with the cut pieces of asparagus.
5. Cover the asparagus with the remaining cheese mixture.
6. In a medium bowl, mix eggs, half and half, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Mix well to break up the yolks and combine.
7. Pour custard over the cheese and asparagus. Be careful not to overfill. (You may have a little extra custard.)
8. Top the quiche with the reserved whole spears of asparagus to garnish.
9. Bake the quiche at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until the custard barely juggles in the middle.
10. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes to set before slicing and serving.

Notes

You can make this quiche without a crust. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray and follow the preparation of the veggies and filling and baking instructions.

This can easily be made ahead and reheated in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes to heat through.

Feel free to substitute heavy cream or whole milk for the half and half. Heavy cream will give a very rich custard and whole milk will make a lighter and leaner custard.

You can substitute the swiss with gruyere, cheddar, gouda, or most hard cow's milk cheeses.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Celtic Sea Salt Light Grey, (1) 16 Ounce Bag, Great for Cooking & Baking, Pickling or Grinding, Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Kosher

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 248Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 294mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 11g

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and may not be completely accurate.