My favorite quiche

Quiche. Once you try a good one, there is no turning back. Once you try your favorite, the same happens. I have been making quiche for many years since the day I tried it at Bonaparte restaurant while studying in Estonia. Our favorite lunch dish was a rare experience as it was not cheap, but oh so special. The plate of warm quiche was served with salad – green salad with olive oil, and I absolutely loved it.

I have shared many quiche recipes during my years of book and magazine writing. I do like them all and would eat them over and over, yet, the turning point came when I tried one in Riga, in a French deli M'Archers. A small quiche version of pure gold. I ate it, warm and oozy, and could not contain my joy. I got home, and decided to make one too. It did take me six months, many cut ham slices and grated cheeses, and way too much lamination to make this quiche, but now it is something I will make even when I’m 90 years old.

The story of quiche is a simple one, like many popular dishes today – a poor person’s leftovers turned into something special. In the 18th century, batter called migaine (eggs, cream, and butter) was poured over leftover bread and baked, soaking the stale bread with liquid and making the dish taste good. Over time, this filling became thicker, and stale bread was replaced by flaky pastry. Bacon was added in the 19th century. The most traditional quiche is from Lorraine with bacon, cream, flaky pastry (never store-bought dough), and no cheese (truly!). Now, endless varieties are available throughout France and the world, and mine contains puff pastry (yes, you can also use short-crust pastry) and cheese, a lot of it.

1 portion puff pastry

filling:
20 ml grape seed oil
140 g champignons, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
sea salt to taste
2 large egg yolks
1 egg yolk
320 ml whipping cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp thyme leaves
1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
pinch of saffron, optional, but I love the taste it gives
1/3 tsp grated black pepper
180 g prosciutto cotto (jambon cuit), cut into cubes
220 g grated cheese (like Emmental, Gruyère, Comté, Beaufort)


Heat the oven to 200°. Roll out the dough 24–25 cm diameter if using a 20-21 cm pan as I do. You can use a larger pan with lower sides, but then the baking time will be half. Roll out to 5 mm thickness, prick with a fork, place baking paper on top and add baking beans to the top of the pastry. Place in the oven one level below the middle. Bake for 20 minutes. Then take out the beans and paper and bake 7-8 more minutes. 

In the meantime, make the filling. Heat a pan, add oil, mushrooms, garlic, salt, and fry until golden. Take off the heat and leave to cool a bit. In a bowl, with a hand whisk, mix eggs, mustard, half of thyme and rosemary, sea salt, pepper, and cream. 

In the pre-baked quiche shell, add half of the cheese, mushrooms, and meat. Slowly pour over the egg mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and place in the oven for 45 minutes until golden and it jiggles just a tiny bit. Take out, cool slightly, and serve. If you cut it while it is hot, it will leak, so give it time to rest. I usually make it a day ahead and reheat prior to serving.