Buttermilk Quiche
A few weeks ago I really, really wanted to eat a quiche. The recipe I usually make calls for half and half which we didn’t have. We did have buttermilk, so I made the recipe with half buttermilk, half regular milk. It turns out that buttermilk makes a great substitute for half and half! Buttermilk creates a super light quiche that isn’t as rich and heavy as a traditional one. It also adds a subtle tang that enhances the final result. I actually prefer it this way!
I never really had eaten quiche until a few years ago because my mother hates most egg dishes, and she is our primary cook. I wanted to try it, so I ordered a slice at this amazing bakery, and it was SO good. I knew I had to try making it, so I used the recipe from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen. The one linked is similar, but not the same.
When making this quiche, there are so many possibilities when it comes to cheese options and fillings. I usually opt for gruyere cheese with sautéed onions and broccoli. I also have included a recipe to make your own crust, but you can definitely use a pre-made crust. If you have leftover egg mixture, pour it into a small oven safe dish and cook it with the quiche for a small crustless quiche.
Quiche Crust:
Ingredients
3 Tbsp ice water, plus extra if needed
4 tsp sour cream
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and frozen for 10 minutes
Directions
Whisk ice water and sour cream together in a bowl. Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combines, about 3 seconds. Scatter frozen butter over top and pulse mixture until butter is size of large peas, about 10 pulses.
Pour half of sour cream mixture over flour mixture and pulse until incorporated, about 3 pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture. Pinch dough with your fingers, if it feels dry, sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp more ice water on top and pulse until dough forms large clumps and no dry flour remains, about 3-5 pulses.
Turn dough onto sheep of plastic wrap and flatten into 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling out, let it sit on the counter to let it soften slightly. The dough and be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If you freeze the dough, make sure to thaw it before rolling it out.
Roll the dough between 2 large sheets of parchment paper to be a 12- inch circle. Remove parchment on top of dough round and flip into a 9-inch pie plate; peel off second layer parchment. Lift dough and gently press it into pie plate, letting excess hang over plate’s edge. Cover loosely with the parchment paper and refrigerate another 30 minutes.
Trim all but 1/2 inch of dough overhanging the edge of the pie plate. Tuck dough underneath itself to form tidy even edge that sits on the lip of the pie plate. Crimp dough around the edge of the pie using your fingers. Refrigerate another 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line the chilled pie dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until pie dough is dry and pale in color. Remove parchment paper and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until bottom is lightly browned and fully cooked. Make sure the crust is still warm when it is filled.
For the Quiche Filling
Ingredients
5 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk (don’t use skim)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 ounces shredded cheese
1 Tbsp chives, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/4 cups onion, thinly sliced
1 recipe of pie dough, par-baked and still warm
Directions
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook for 2-3 minutes, until broccoli is bright green. Drain and set aside.
In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 7-8 minutes until the onion is transparent and starting to caramelize. Take off heat and set aside.
Whisk eggs, milk, buttermilk, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Sit in the shredded cheese and chives.
Scatter the set aside onions and broccoli evenly in the bottom of the warm pie shell. Place the shell on a baking sheet. Then pour the egg mixture into the warm shell until it is about 1/2 inch from the top.
Bake the quiche for 40-50 minutes until the top is lightly browned, the center is set but soft, and a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean. Let the quiche cool for 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!
