A few weeks ago, I had a special guest over for dinner: my American pen friend Amy, whose family hosted me in their Michigan home the summer I turned fifteen.
This was a life-defining trip for me: it was my first time in the US, a.k.a. the coolest country in the world in the eyes of this French teen, and Amy’s parents made it count in a way I’ll forever be grateful for, taking us on roadtrips in their minivan (with a television and VCR inside!) to Canada and to New York City (New York City!), and generally making sure I had a grand time.
Everything was a source of gleeful amazement to me, from the size of the backyard to the whole-house air-conditioning, from the gigantic malls to the extra frilly decorations in every girl’s room I visited, from the frozen waffles I was allowed to have every morning (every morning!) with bottled chocolate syrup to my first PB&J (which I did not “get” at the time), from the powerful smell of popcorn in movie theaters to the different kinds of fast food (burgers! tacos! pizzas!) Amy’s father picked up on his way home from work most nights.
Nobody would mistake it for the classic egg-and-cream quiche filling, but it hit all the right notes: creamy but pleasantly set, richly flavorful on its own but subtle enough to let the other ingredients shine.
Amy and I got along famously, but we lost touch as teenagers will — and probably did even more easily in that pre-Internet era. In recent years I searched for her on Facebook every once in a while, but turned up empty. Eventually it is she who wrote in, letting me know she’d soon be traveling through Europe and stopping for a few days in Paris. Would I be up for a little reunion?
The least I could do was invite her to dinner and she said yes, noting that she was now a vegan. I wanted to make her something homey and French, something I would serve to any of my old girlfriends, and decided on a quiche filled with greens, in the style of this greens and walnut quiche.
Obviously the egg-milk-and-cream filling would not do, so I looked for a vegan alternative and was intrigued by this idea of a filling based on chickpea flour, thickened to a custardy consistency on the stove, and flavored with spices and nutritional yeast, the go-to vegan ingredient when a cheesy note is needed.
The filling was very easy to prepare — I made it and my olive oil tart crust the day before — and it garnished the quiche in the most satisfying way. Nobody would mistake it for the classic egg-and-cream custard of course, but it hit all the right notes: creamy but pleasantly set, richly flavorful on its own but subtle enough to let the other ingredients shine.
Join the conversation!
Have you kept in touch with your foreign exchange friends, and what would you serve if you had them over for dinner now? Have you ever made a vegan quiche, and what type of filling did you use?
Have you tried this? Share your pics on Instagram!
Please tag your pictures with #cnzrecipes. I'll share my favorites!
Vegan Quiche Filling Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
For one 30-cm (12-inch) quiche.
Ingredients
- 100 grams (1 cup) chickpea flour (available from natural foods stores and Indian markets, also labeled as gram flour or besan)
- 15 grams (1/4 cup) nutritional yeast (available from natural foods stores)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, salt, nutmeg, and turmeric. Add the mustard and whisk in 240 ml (1 cup) fresh water.
- Pour 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) fresh water in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the chickpea mixture and bring back to a simmer.
- Cook over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.
- The quiche filling is now ready to use, but you can also pour it into a container and refrigerate until the next day. It will thicken and separate, but that's okay: simply whisk it back into shape.
- To use, combine it with the other quiche ingredients and pour into a blind-baked quiche shell, such as my olive oil tart crust, parbaked for 10 minutes at 180°C (360°F).
- Bake at 180°C (360°F) for 25 minutes, then brush the top with olive oil (this gives a nice sheen to the otherwise matte finish of the filling) and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Serve hot or just slightly warm.
Notes
https://cnz.to/recipes/vegetables-grains/vegan-quiche-filling-recipe/
Unless otherwise noted, all recipes are copyright Clotilde Dusoulier.
FAQs
Quiche is a savory egg custard baked in a flaky pie crust shell. Though you can certainly make a crustless quiche, too! The base of quiche filling are milk, cream, and eggs. The add-ins vary and can include meats, seafood, cheese, spices, and vegetables.
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.
What makes a quiche curdle? ›
Quiche should not be cooked at too high of a temperature to avoid curdling the eggs. Many recipes call for baking quiche at temperatures between 325° F and 375° F. If you are baking at a high altitude, the temperature and bake times will need to be adjusted.
Why is milk used in quiche? ›
The best quiche ratio is 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy. The ratio of the fat content from the dairy and the protein from the eggs determine the custard's final texture. The egg proteins bond to form a soft gel-like texture, while the dairy gives the quiche a creamy flavor.
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.
What is a substitute for heavy cream in quiche? ›
Milk and cornstarch
To replace 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream in your recipe, add 2 tablespoons (19 grams) of cornstarch to 1 cup (237 mL) of milk and stir, allowing the mixture to thicken. You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe.
What is the secret to a good quiche? ›
Bake it low and slow
High oven heat poses the risk of scrambling eggs. Once you've blind-baked your crust, dial that oven down to just 300 degrees and bake the quiche for a full hour. It'll turn out velvety and smooth rather than chunky-style.
What is the formula for quiche? ›
Ratios: The best way to make a quiche is to add the eggs to a large measuring cup, then add the cream or milk. For every egg used you should add enough milk or cream to create a 1/2 cup. Meaning for 1 egg you will add enough cream or milk to make 1/2 a cup of mixture.
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.
Can you put too many eggs in a quiche? ›
Using too many eggs in the custard results in a quiche that rubbery and too firm when baked, while not using enough will prevent the custard from setting. Follow This Tip: Remember this ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy.
The answer is, yes you can, which is a relief. You do need some fat in there to help it set, but you can get that from the cheese. Using just milk and eggs as the basis for the filling works perfectly well and I figure you are more likely to have these ingredients in, which is way more helpful.
What is the best ratio of eggs to milk in a quiche? ›
The key to a foolproof quiche is the ratio of eggs to liquid – 2:1. I used 3 eggs and 1 1/2 cups liquid ( a mix of whole milk and heavy cream) – this is enough for a deep dish crust. This is definitely a recipe to have in your repertoire. Consider it a keeper with endless filling possibilities!
Can I use 2% milk instead of heavy cream for quiche? ›
Classic custards use heavy cream, but 2% milk contains a fraction of the saturated fat and is still plenty rich. Flavor your custard with salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and fresh herbs such as chives, oregano, parsley or tarragon.
Can you substitute almond milk for heavy cream in quiche? ›
Eggs: the base of any quiche is eggs, so we're keeping things traditional there. Almond milk: instead of cream/milk, we're swapping with unsweetened almond milk. I think you could also add a bit of cashew cream if you're wanting to make it a tiny bit richer.
Is quiche made with heavy cream or light cream? ›
Heavy cream is traditional in Quiche Lorraine, however, we seem to have better luck with light cream in our quiche recipes. They bake up lighter and the filling ingredients really shine through instead of getting masked by the milk fat.
Is a quiche basically a custard pie? ›
Quiche is, as stated above, a custard pie. Custard, of course, is a combination of milk or cream and eggs that is cooked to a desired thickened consistency, and the cream is of utmost importance here. Without cream, you just get … eggs.
Does quiche always contain cheese? ›
What Is a Quiche? Quiche is a savory French tart with an egg custard (eggs, milk or cream and seasoning) and fillings baked in a pie crust. Quiche filling typically includes at least one kind of cheese, along with blanched vegetables, cooked, diced meat and sometimes seafood.
