Deep-Dish French Quiche

My dad asked me for a quiche recipe to make for my mom on Mother’s Day and with Mother’s Day in France this coming Sunday, I thought I would share this versatile quiche recipe (always thought it strange that the two countries celebrate mothers on different days).

Quiche seems so French to me – sitting outside at a little bistro eating a quiche Lorraine with a lightly dressed salad and a glass of Chablis. Typically, quiche is quite thin and simple. I like to make mine loaded with veggies and thicker – makes for a very satisfying meal with a simple green salad.

This recipe is versatile because while I used lardons (thick bacon pieces), onions, mushrooms and zucchini, you can substitute almost any vegetable you have laying around (careful with water-laden vegetables like squash/zucchini), use chicken or ground meat instead of the lardons or make it vegetarian. You can also use a different cheese in place of the gruyere. I know there are a lot of eggs in this (I said it was deep!), but you can substitute with more egg whites to make it lighter.

Also, quiche is great for parties – make ahead, serve room temp or reheat in the oven before serving.

Deep-Dish French Quiche

Servings: 6-8

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 1 hour 10 minutes

Need: Deep 9-inch pie-dish

¾ cup (75 g) lardons (French bacon bits), pancetta or bacon

1 medium zucchini

2 cups (about 8 medium-sized, 170 g) mushrooms, medium diced

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup (5 grams) chopped parsley

2 egg whites + 9 large eggs

2 tablespoons light cream

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

½ teaspoon piment d’Espelette (or cayenne pepper)

Black pepper

1 cup (60 g) grated Gruyere cheese

1 sheet store-bought pie crust (or make your own)

Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Grate the zucchini (like you would grate cheese) over a

fine-mesh strainer. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and set aside (I put mine in the sink). This step is so the zucchini loses some of its water.

Trim the excess fat off the lardons (bacon) and cut into small pieces. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add the lardons to the skillet and cook until the fat is rendered and they are slightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a piece of paper towel and set aside.

Chop the onions and mushrooms (or whatever other veggies you’ve chosen) and use the same skillet you used for the lardons, without wiping off the grease, to sauté the vegetables. Stirring occasionally, sauté until the onions start to get translucent – about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg whites, cream, 1 teaspoon salt, a dash or two of fresh ground pepper, the piment d’espelette/cayenne and ½ cup (30 g) of gruyere.

Lightly grease pie dish. Press in the pastry dough. Evenly spread the cooked mushrooms and onions over the dough. Press down on the zucchini in the strainer to remove excess water and then spread the zucchini over the other veggies. Sprinkle with the cooked lardons then

evenly pour in the egg mixture. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and remaining ½ cup (30 g) cheese (or more).

Put in the middle of the oven and let cook for about 55 minutes. Each oven is different, but take out when the top of the quiche is golden and slightly puffed and the pastry edges are browned, but not burned. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. The quiche can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature or reheated for about 20 minutes in the oven.

And bon appétit!