Crustless Quiche with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

May 10th, 2009  |  Published in All, Delectable Dairy, Honorable Herbs, Most Popular, Parsley, Summer Squash & Zucchini, Tomatoes, Veritable Vegetables, Weeknight Recipes  |  7 Comments

Crustless Quiche with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Crustless Quiche with Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Salami
Adapted from Tartine

~1/3 c. sun-dried tomatoes (dry packed)
~1/3 -1/2 c. salami, chopped
1/2 of a zucchini, cut into small uniform pieces

5 large eggs
3 T. flour
1 c. creme fraiche
1 c. whole milk
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 9 inch pie plate.

Heat 1-2 c. water until boiling.  Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a medium bowl and pour the boiling water over them.  Re-hydrate the tomatoes for 15 minutes, then drain and finely chop.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over medium heat.  Lightly saute the salami until some fat is rendered and the edges start to crisp.  Press the salami to one side of the pan so some of the fat drains off.  Remove the salami from the pan and set aside, but leave the fat.  Reheat the pan, then saute the zucchini pieces in the rendered fat (if there isn’t much fat, add a little bit of butter or olive oil).  Saute the zucchini for about 5-7 minutes until the edges start to turn brown.  Add the zucchini to the salami and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk one egg and the 3 T. of flour until smooth.  Add the remaining four eggs, and whisk until smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk the creme fraiche until smooth.  Add the milk and whisk again.  Add the egg mixture, then the salt, pepper, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, salami, and zucchini.  Mix well.  Pour into the prepared pie plate, and place in the middle of the oven.  Bake for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 325 and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, until the center of the quiche is slightly firm to the touch.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy!

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I had a quiche epiphany the first time I tasted the quiche from Tartine Bakery in San Francisco.  The texture was amazing — light, fluffy, and almost custard-like.  It was a far cry from the dense, slightly dry, slightly rubbery texture that my mind conjured when I heard the word quiche.

Though I sadly live thousands of miles from oh-so-delicious Tartine Bakery nowadays, the Tartine cookbook has a recipe for basic quiche that is just as good as the quiche they sell in the shop.  The key ingredients for the fluffy texture are copious amounts of creme fraiche and whole milk, along with a little bit of flour.

If you’re appalled that the recipe calls for 1 cup of creme fraiche AND 1 cup of whole milk, then, well, that’s unfortunate because you’ll be missing out on perhaps the most amazingly textured quiche in existence.  I fall pretty squarely into the camp that ‘fat doesn’t make you fat, sugar and excess carbohydates do’, so you’ll get no apology from me for the fat content of this quiche.

As for filling, let your taste and imagination be your guide.  The past few quiches I have made have used sun-dried tomatoes and brianza salami that I picked up on a recent trip to Lake Como, Italy.  Chopped cooked asparagus or spinach would also be delicious, along with numerous other vegetable and herb combinations.  I have heard that at Tartine they even make a nettle quiche during the spring!

And though this quiche is crustless, I am quite sure that it would be delicious with a crust as well.  If you decide to go that route, use your favorite crust recipe, and fully bake it before adding the filling.  Then, bake the quiche as directed above.

I’ve been in the routine of making a quiche on sunday, which I then eat for breakfast during the week.  When I get up, I place a slice in a low oven to reheat it, and by the time I am out of the shower and dressed, the quiche is thoroughly heated and ready to be eaten.  Delicious and filling!

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