Ham & Swiss Quiche

[dave the baker]

Blind bake (pre-bake) your crust to eliminate the sogginess problem. Line your crust with non-stick foil, fill with dried beans (for weight) and bake 10 min at 350 F or 375 F. Remove from oven, remove foil and beans (save beans to use again and again), put back in oven for another 5 minutes or so. These baking times will vary from one oven to another; experimentation is the best school for this.

You might also want to start baking your filled quiche at 400 F for 20 min and then reduce heat to 350 to finish (30 min or so). Get an oven thermometer to keep track of your oven's actual heat; and always pre-heat to the desired temp before baking!

 

[JustMeToo]

Scoobagirl, no I do not prebake the crust. The first time I made this I did experience sogginess, so the next time I made it i put the ham in a frypan to get some of the water out of it. Then it came out great. I am wondering if the zucchini had to much liquid in it? Also, I use a glass pie dish.

JustMeToo, do you prebake your pie crust?

I made this today and had a bit of trouble with sogginess. Not bad - just not quite as firm as I wanted it to be, even baking it an extra 10 minutes.

I put the crust in a 10" quiche dish. I put the chopped ham in on top of the crust, then put in some sauteed peppers, onions, and garlic (well drained), then a layer of very thin slices of zucchini and topped with 2 handfuls of shredded cheese. I mixed the 5 eggs and 1 c milk, and s&p and poured all over the veggies, ham, and cheese and baked at 350 for a total of 60 minutes (after checking at 45 & 55 minutes and it was not knife-clean in the middle). I let it "set" at room temp for about an hour before cutting it.

Just wondered if you have any tips for getting it to set up "firmer" - in case it matters we are at about 3500' elevation... ?

 

[Katie H]

You could also brush your pie crust with egg white before you add your ingredients.

 

[scoobagirl]

ok, thanks - great suggestions everyone. I will be trying these next time!

(I had wondered if the ham was too moist; the zuke was pretty dried out) and I will definitely check the oven temp and try pre-baking the crust.

 

[sattie]

I like the discussion... all the kinks should be worked out by the time I make my quiche!!

 

[Aria]

This thread was helpful

I was thinking....what to do with all the leftover ham. Solution.
And thanks for all the suggestions.

I do have a recipe for Quiche without the crust. Thanks for the crust recipe Dave-the-baker.

Will mae a Quiche today. Thanks again, Aria

 

[dave the baker]

Enjoy, Ladies. You also might want to try a Cheddar, Broccoli, bacon (or diced ham) Quiche. Quiche also freezes well, a slice at a time, double wrapped.

 

[Jeekinz]

Can I use a pastry sheet as a crust or no?

 

[dave the baker]

I shouldn't think so. Oh! Do you mean puff pastry and not a metal pastry (cookie) sheet?

 

[dave the baker]

If so, I suppose. I've never tired it as it may puff too much.

 

[Jeekinz]

Can I use a puff pastry sheet as the pie crust?

I'm not a baker, but the DW has these perfectly flat sheets that look like they might fit the pie pan.

 

[sattie]

It seems like you would be able to. I'm no quiche expert, but it would seem that you could prepare it just like Dave explained, put the beans or what not in the pan and bake before loading it up with the goodies. Heck, if you try it and it works, let me know!

 

[dave the baker]

It's going to puff up quite a bit; I don't know if it will work or not, but please let me know either way. The pate brisee I recommended is a tamer version of the puff pastry. Both are butter crusts. The pate has lumps of butter throughout while the paste has layers of butter interspersed with layers of the flour, so you get a bigger "explosion" between the layers of flour; ergo the "puff". It's akin to making croisants, only it's flat. I'm really interested in how it works. (it's also alot more expensive!)

Dave

 

[Jeekinz]

I'll give it a shot. Thanks.

 

[Walt Bulander]

Even easier: Skip the crust! Just be sure the pie pan (mine is Pyrex) is well greased.

You can even do it on top of the stove in a non stick frying pan, like a Spanish tortilla. I fry bacon and potatoes with a little onion, add 4 beaten eggs and cook for a while. If I'm feeling brave, I make sure everything has released from the pan, and flip it! (Non braves just put the whole thing under the broiler to cook the top.)

Other ingredients to try: Diced ham or chorizo, roasted red peppers, peas, asparagus, cooked mushrooms, cheese, etc.

 

[dave the baker]

Walt: You just described a Fritatta. Quiche is a custard.

 

[scoobagirl]

your frittata sounds good. It would certainly beat the soggy crust on my quiche.

Isn't it wonderful though, how the ingredients can go different directions?