From our food contributor,DianaBauman. 
Spring is my favorite season of the year. Being from Iowa, it’s a breath of fresh air, literally, to be able to spend time outdoors as the weather warms and the cycle of life begins anew. As much as I enjoy spring time and all that it brings, it also happens to be a busy season in my life. With 2 boys and a husband in baseball and an urban homestead to keep up on, I intentionally seek out and prepare meals that come together quickly. One spring ingredient I take full advantage of are eggs. I know what you’re thinking, “eggs are available year round.” Well, yes they are; however, having raised backyard hens for 5 years, I’ve come to learn that they are indeed seasonal.In the winter, hens need to conserve body heat and so they produce fewer eggs. When spring arrives and the weather warms and the daylight increases, their egg production soars. I’m currently getting around 10-11 eggs per day whereas in the winter my hens would only lay about 2-3 eggs per day.Their egg production usually stays up until the heat of summer kicks in around July and August. At that time, their egg production slows and gradually increases as the weather cools in fall. Then when winter arrives, their egg production is nearly halted until the spring comes again. The reason hensraised commercially are able to produce eggs year round is that they are kept in an environment that is neutral with heat, light, and grains so that they are able to lay continually, year round. Isn’t it neat to be in touch with the seasons and cyclical patterns of life?For now, my family is living in an abundance of eggs and nothing makes me happier since they area traditional source of complete protein and nutrition.
A Self Crusting, Dark Leafy Green Quiche
One of my favorite way to use our abundance of eggs packed full of nutrients is by making a quiche – a light dish, perfect for a spring time brunch or supper. A quiche is essentially a custard that is made with milk and eggs and then poured into a pastry crust to be baked.As delightful as a traditional quiche is, I’m oftentimes to busy in this season to make the crust, allow it to firm up in the fridge, roll it out, and then mold it into a pie dish. Instead, on busy spring days, I usually make a self crusting quiche that forms itself by the addition of flour and a bit of baking powder. It creates its own darkened type crust right in the oven as it’s baking.It saves me so much time and makes this dish come together in literally minutes! For this particular quiche, I added dark leafy greens of swiss chard, kale, and spinach. Together with cheddar and pecorino romano cheeses, this quiche is light, creamy, and savory. What’s great about a quiche is that it can be eaten warm, at room temperature, or cold. On days that my family has ball games to play, I’ll usually whip up a self crusting quiche during the day and refrigerate it to eat cold later in the evening. A quick, nourishing, and satisfying spring meal.
A Self Crusting, Dark Leafy Green Quiche
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: French
Author: Diana Bauman
Serves: 4-5
A self crusting, dark leafy green quiche. A perfectly light, quick to make spring meal your entire family will enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups packed dark leafy greens (like spinach, swiss chard, kale)
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup flour (for gluten free, sub oat flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese or Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Lightly butter a 10-inch pie plate
- In a skillet or cast iron pan, heat 2 tbls of extra virgin olive oil and saute the onion until translucent. Add 2 cups, dark leafy greens and the water. Cook until the greens just start to wilt; 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk. Add the cheddar cheese and mix though. Add the flour, baking powder and salt; whisk through then stir in the greens and onions.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into the pie plate. Top with the Pecorino Romano cheese.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center is set and the outside edges are golden brown.
What are your favorite meals to whip up on busy days?
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FAQs
This is how to prep your quiche crust using the homemade or refrigerated option. And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry.
What not to put in quiche? ›
Avoid Fillings That Are Too Wet
"Some vegetables, such as sliced large tomatoes or raw zucchini, have a high water content and will make your quiche soggy (even if you follow all steps to avoid this!)," Davila notes.
How do you crisp the bottom of a quiche? ›
If you pour the egg custard into an unbaked crust, the liquid is unfortunately going to seep into the crust, preventing it from crisping up. The simple solution is to blind-bake the crust before adding the custard. Follow This Tip: Blind-bake the pie crust before pouring in the custard to ensure a crisp, flaky crust.
Why do you put flour in quiche? ›
Roll it out a tad bit thicker than you normally would for a standard pie if possible, and absolutely use it all. Confidently press any overhang or extra pieces into the walls of your pan. Add flour to your filling: Adding a bit of flour to your quiche filling helps absorb moisture and stabilize things in general.
Should quiche be cooked at 350 or 375? ›
BAKE in center of 375°F oven until center is almost set but jiggles slightly when dish is gently shaken and knife inserted near center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
Can you put too many eggs in a quiche? ›
The Kitchn cautions that using too many eggs can make the consistency of the quiche rubbery and tough, while using too few eggs can prevent the custard filling from setting properly, giving you a runny, soggy quiche. The recommended proportion is one egg to one-half cup of cream or milk.
Should quiche be in glass or metal pan? ›
The main draw of glass is that you can easily monitor the bottom and sides of the pie as it bakes. Metal pans conduct heat proficiently and are generally thinner than glass or ceramic, making them champs at browning crusts.
Can I use milk instead of cream in my quiche? ›
While it is not as traditional for quiches such as quiche Lorraine, you can use milk instead of heavy cream for quiche. While the results are not *as* rich as if heavy cream is used, I find that by the time you factor in the cheese and eggs, the quiche is not at all lacking in indulgence.
Do you poke holes in quiche crust? ›
Poking holes allows steam to escape
Air bubbles can also lead to cracks, and cracks inevitably lead to leaks. Therefore, for a level, leak-proof crust, a perforated crust is key. If, however, the recipe you're working with has a particularly liquidy filling, poking the bottom isn't a necessary step.
What can I use instead of pie crust for quiche? ›
- Crispy Rice Cereal. A little peanut butter is all it takes to morph crunchy cereal into a moldable mix for a playful pie crust. ...
- Waffle Cones. Scooping ice cream cones for a crowd might leave you wiping sweat (and ice cream drippings) off your brow. ...
- Brownies. ...
- Butter Crackers. ...
- Shredded Coconut. ...
- Puff Pastry.
Excess moisture is one reason why quiches collapse in a watery pool on your plate. Vegetables and meats like ham give off tremendous amounts of water when they're cooked. Therefore, if you're using vegetables in your quiche, it's imperative that you cook them first.
What is the milk to egg ratio for quiche? ›
Quiche Ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy
You'll need to increase the amount of eggs and milk based on the size of your quiche, so knowing the basic ratio makes it really easy to scale up or down. For a standard 9-inch quiche: Use 3 large eggs (6 ounces) 1 1/2 cups of whole milk or cream (12 ounces)
Is milk better than heavy cream in quiche? ›
Heavy Cream and Milk – For the best tasting quiche, use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream. (Or simply use half-and-half.) Using just heavy cream produces an overly thick filling. Whole milk is great, but a combo of heavy cream and milk is better.
Why put nutmeg in quiche? ›
Salt, cayenne pepper, ground nutmeg: These seasonings flavor of the quiche, with salt balancing the flavors, cayenne pepper adding a slight heat, and ground nutmeg providing a warm, nutty undertone.
How long do I blind bake a crust for quiche? ›
Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps. Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and beans.
What happens if you don't bake the pie crust first? ›
Pre-baking also prevents you from ending up with undercooked shells or undercooked fillings. For no-bake pie recipes, you definitely need to pre-bake, or else you'll wind up with an all-around goopy bite. Other items that include a pastry crust, like galettes, don't always need to be pre-baked.
What happens if you don't blind bake? ›
There are two times when blind baking is necessary: When we're making a custard pie or when the pie filling is unbaked. With a custard pie, like a pumpkin pie, the moisture in the filling can make the crust soggy before it has time to actually bake.
What happens if you don't blind bake pie crust? ›
Too many pumpkin pies have soggy crusts that never fully brown. To avoid this, recipes often call for blind baking your crust. That is, baking the empty crust before the filling is added. This gives the crust time to firm up and brown, time it typically doesn't get if the faster cooking filling is added first.
Spring is my favorite season of the year. Being from Iowa, it’s a breath of fresh air, literally, to be able to spend time outdoors as the weather warms and the cycle of life begins anew. As much as I enjoy spring time and all that it brings, it also happens to be a busy season in my life. With 2 boys and a husband in baseball and an urban homestead to keep up on, I intentionally seek out and prepare meals that come together quickly. One spring ingredient I take full advantage of are eggs. I know what you’re thinking, “eggs are available year round.” Well, yes they are; however, having raised backyard hens for 5 years, I’ve come to learn that they are indeed seasonal.In the winter, hens need to conserve body heat and so they produce fewer eggs. When spring arrives and the weather warms and the daylight increases, their egg production soars. I’m currently getting around 10-11 eggs per day whereas in the winter my hens would only lay about 2-3 eggs per day.Their egg production usually stays up until the heat of summer kicks in around July and August. At that time, their egg production slows and gradually increases as the weather cools in fall. Then when winter arrives, their egg production is nearly halted until the spring comes again. The reason hensraised commercially are able to produce eggs year round is that they are kept in an environment that is neutral with heat, light, and grains so that they are able to lay continually, year round. Isn’t it neat to be in touch with the seasons and cyclical patterns of life?For now, my family is living in an abundance of eggs and nothing makes me happier since they area traditional source of complete protein and nutrition.
One of my favorite way to use our abundance of eggs packed full of nutrients is by making a quiche – a light dish, perfect for a spring time brunch or supper. 
A quiche is essentially a custard that is made with milk and eggs and then poured into a pastry crust to be baked.As delightful as a traditional quiche is, I’m oftentimes to busy in this season to make the crust, allow it to firm up in the fridge, roll it out, and then mold it into a pie dish. Instead, on busy spring days, I usually make a self crusting quiche that forms itself by the addition of flour and a bit of baking powder. It creates its own darkened type crust right in the oven as it’s baking.It saves me so much time and makes this dish come together in literally minutes! 
For this particular quiche, I added dark leafy greens of swiss chard, kale, and spinach. Together with cheddar and pecorino romano cheeses, this quiche is light, creamy, and savory. What’s great about a quiche is that it can be eaten warm, at room temperature, or cold. On days that my family has ball games to play, I’ll usually whip up a self crusting quiche during the day and refrigerate it to eat cold later in the evening. A quick, nourishing, and satisfying spring meal.