You can’t have a brunch without an egg dish. I just love pies! Sweet, savory, as long as it’s in a pie shell, I’m there for it. This asparagus and zucchini quiche is beautiful, bright, and would make a lovely addition to your brunch table.
A quiche may sound fancy and hard to make, but, if you know how to put a pie dough together, it’s really quite simple. The flavor combinations are endless. Once you have a base for the inside, you can add any ingredients you’d like.
For this specific quiche, honestly, I used what I had in the fridge. Some asparagus, zucchini, spinach, chives and swiss cheese. As for the quiche base, I use a ratio of 4 eggs to 1 c. of cream and milk combined. It gives the perfect creamy texture.
The Crust
Using a butter pie crust ensures a flaky crust. I made my pie dough the day before to save time. I always like making a double batch of dough to have extra for making something sweet. First thing to remember when making a butter pie crust, is for all your ingredients to be as cold as possible. Use ice cold water and cold butter cut into cubes. Secondly, make sure you plan ahead of time to ensure enough time for refrigeration, this lets the gluten in the flour relax.
Have your dry ingredients mixed in a bowl together. You can use your hands or pastry cutter to cut in the cold butter till it resembles oatmeal texture. Next, add ice cold water a little at a time. It’s important to note that if you over mix your dough, it will be tough. You only want the dough to start forming together. Lastly, gather it and shape into a disk. Wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour
The Quiche
When making a quiche, you need to blind bake the crust before adding your filling. What does this mean? You need to bake the empty pie shell halfway before adding your filling. Adding parchment paper on top and filling with peas or beans will help with the crust from shrinking as it bakes. Once baked, the crust will need to completely cool before adding your liquids.
In the meantime, you can prepare your filling. Whisk the cream, milk, and eggs together. Followed by your choice of ingredients. I reserved some asparagus spearheads to decorate the top of the quiche before baking. You are now ready to pour the filling into your prepared crust. Finally, back in the oven, it goes for about 45 min.
Asparagus and Zucchini Quiche
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 c. Chilled Butter
- 2 1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- 1/4-1/2 c. Ice Water
Filling
- 4 Eggs
- 1/2 c. Cream 15-35%
- 1/2 c. Milk Whole
- 1/3 c. Swiss Cheese
- 1/2 c. Zucchini Chopped
- 1/2 c. Asparagus Chopped
- 1/2 c. Spinach Chopped
- 1 tsp. Chives Chopped
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Instructions
Pie Dough
- Before starting, make sure your butter is chilled and your water is ice cold.
- Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
- Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or crumble with your hands till you get an oatmeal texture.
- Add cold water 2 Tbsp. at a time till the dough starts to come together. Mix a few times with your hands, then gather in a ball and form a disk. Make sure not to over mix the dough.
- Wrap and refrigerate at least an hour before use.
Quiche
- Preheat the oven to 375* F.
- Roll out your dough to about 1/2 cm in thickness. Press into a pie dish and trim the edges. At this point, I would pop the dish in the fridge for 15 min.
- Remove from fridge. Press parchment paper into the bottom of the dish and pour peas or beans to cover the bottom. You are now ready to blind bake your crust.
- Bake for 20 min. Remove the parchment paper and bake an additional 5 min.
- Let the crust cool, while you prepare your filling.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream, and milk.
- Add the vegetables, chives, salt, and pepper.
- Pour into the cooled pie crust. Bake for 45-50 min at 350*F
- Serve and enjoy!
You can make your quiche with just vegetables. Add some meat. Perhaps change up the cheeses. The possibilities are endless to explore. With this in mind, you can create the perfect quiche for your meal. This asparagus and zucchini quiche was just what I needed to add to my Mother’s Day brunch. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Thanks for reading!
Elisa
