This post is a part of a series I call Lovely Lady Lunch–where I take time, once a week, to make myself a real lunch. On the side, I might read a book, flip through a magazine, or watch something on YouTube. The idea is to enjoy a delicious lunch and just take a minute in the middle of the day to chill. I encourage you to share your lovely lady lunches on media using the tag #lovelyladylunch!
Today I bring you one of my all-time favorite things to consume in all the land, quiche. Quiche gets a rap as being lady-food (which, wtf? why?) but, in our house it’s a universally loved dish and it takes serious self-control for us to have one around without devouring it in a single meal. Besides being freaking amazing, I love that you can make a quiche ahead of time and enjoy it later at room temperature or even cold, which means it happens to be the perfect make-ahead lunch. Essentially a savory custard pie, but so much more magical than that. Somehow the combination of buttery pastry, silky custard, cheese (always), and whatever delicious fillings you desire. In this case it’s broccoli roasted with shallots and bacon until the broccoli edges and shallots are caramelized and the bacon is crisp. Bonus, everything gets roasted together on a single sheet pan just to keep things easy and even more delicious.
Even though they aren’t difficult, there are a few steps to fuss with. Nothing crazy, but since there are a few things going on I like to make this on the weekend so during the week lunch comes together in snap. Just add a salad or some soup to round this out into a proper meal (or you’ll end up eating 1/3 of a quiche before you know it…not that I’m speaking from experience or anything).
- Crust:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled
- 2-4 teaspoons ice water
- Filling:
- 1 head of broccoli cut into florets
- 3 large shallots, roughly chopped
- 4 slices of bacon, cut into chunks
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup shredded cheese*
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and chilled butter. Pulse to create a coarse meal–with some completely incorporated bits of butter and some larger pieces. Pulse in the water a few tablespoons at a time until the mixture just comes together when pinched. It should look sandy and not wet, but should form a dough when pinched between two fingers. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and press into a disk. Carefully roll out the dough to fit into a pie dish, flouring the surface and rolling pin as needed. Place the dough in the pie pan, trim and crimp the edges, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills, toss the broccoli, shallots, bacon, and red pepper flakes with a pinch of salt on a baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Drizzle with the olive oil. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring about halfway through until the edges of the broccoli become caramelized, and the bacon is crisp. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
- While the broccoli cools, blind bake the chilled pie crust by covering the dough with foil or crinkled parchment and filling with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, carefully remove the foil/parchment and pie weights/beans and return to bake for another 15 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.
- While the crust blind bakes, whisk the eggs, milk, cream, and salt together until smooth. Once the crust is blind baked, remove it from the oven and sprinkle the bottom with half of the cheese, followed by the broccoli, shallot, and bacon mixture, then top with the remaining cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the filling and bake for about 40 minutes, until the filling is just set. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
Instead of chilling the dough before rolling it out, I like to quickly and carefully roll it out right after it’s made before chilling it. I find it’s easier to work with this way, but do whatever feels most natural to you.
Adapted from The Kitchn.
Quiche is theeee best! Perfect way to get a few veggies in and a good dose of cheese :0 Happy lunching!
Such a classic lady lunch, I love it <3 <3
This looks beautiful and delicious!
This looks delicious. I have a pie crust in the freezer that I need to use up so think I’ll make this later this week!