Equipment
Ingredients
Shortcrust Pastry
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 2 g salt
- 45 ml ice water
Filling
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 100 ml whole milk
- 120 g gruyere cheese, grated
- 4 g salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly cracked
- ½ g ground nutmeg
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Combine all-purpose flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the cold cubed butter to the flour and rub the mixture between your fingers until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Stir in the ice water gradually until the dough just begins to clump together.
Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook the sliced onions until soft, deeply browned, and sweet.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
Roll the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness and carefully transfer it into a 9-inch tart pan, pressing gently into the corners.
Prick the base of the pastry shell all over with a fork to prevent it from bubbling up during baking.
Line the pastry with parchment paper, fill to the top with baking weights, and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the parchment and weights, then return the crust to the oven for 5 minutes until the base is lightly golden and dry. Reduce oven temperature to 175°C/350°F.
Whisk the eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg in a bowl until smooth and homogeneous.
Scatter the caramelized onions and grated Gruyere cheese evenly across the bottom of the warm, pre-baked pastry shell.
Pour the liquid egg custard slowly over the cheese and onions until it reaches just below the crust edge.
Bake the quiche at 175°C/350°F for 35 to 40 minutes until the edges are puffed and the center has a slight wobble.
Remove from the oven and let stand on a wire rack to cool slightly, allowing the custard to finish setting before slicing.
Chef's Notes
- Blind baking is completely non-negotiable for quiche. It ensures a crisp pastry shell that is structurally sound enough to hold a liquid custard without turning to mush.
- For the deepest flavor, take your time caramelizing the onions. Cooking them slowly over medium-low heat brings out their natural sugars without introducing bitter burnt notes.
- The secret to a silky, luxurious quiche is the dairy ratio. Using a blend of heavy cream and whole milk creates a rich texture that avoids feeling overwhelmingly heavy on the palate.
- Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator relaxes the gluten. This is a critical step to prevent the crust from aggressively shrinking down the sides of the tart pan while baking.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Wrap tightly in foil or plastic wrap to prevent the crust from absorbing moisture.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze fully baked quiche well-wrapped. Best reheated directly from frozen.
Reheating: Reheat in a 150C/300F oven for 15-20 minutes to re-crisp the crust.
