Somehow in recent years, quiche lost its way. Its reputation was bruised. No doubt, it was partly due to an onslaught of weekend brunches with subpar crusts and watery fillings. Or maybe we went overboard on the catered affairs, with passed mini-quiches that were always cold and tasted like bitter mushrooms.
Perhaps quiche was served too often at too many ladies-who-lunch affairs in the '70s and '80s (there is in fact a best-selling book called Real Men Don't Eat Quiche, published in 1982. We'll resist the urge to delve further into the gender implications of quiche-eating).
Whatever the impetus, quiche has been heading for the same fate as sun-dried tomatoes, raspberry balsamic dressing, and cured salmon on pizza. Once popular, these dishes now live in our collective memories of a time now passed, and never to be repeated. But quiche deserves to be rescued. It doesn't deserve a bleak future. Quiche, when done correctly, is a beautiful thing.
Take our February cover recipe, the Caramelized Garlic, Spinach, and Cheddar Tart (pictured above). This is a quiche. It is called a tart, but it is a quiche (even our food director Carla Lalli Music admits it). Why? By definition, it contains a savory egg custard inside a pastry crust. And it's absolutely delicious. The recipe calls for both crème fraîche and heavy cream, which results in an extra luxurious custard when baked. To counteract the richness, a robust cheese like Cheddar, Gruyère, or feta helps to give quiche more depth of flavor, says digital food editor Dawn Perry.
And, take this Roasted Vegetable Tart, a cover recipe from October 2012. It is also a quiche even though it is called a tart (even our executive editor Christine Muhlke admits it). It's by cookbook hero Yotam Ottolenghi, so you know it's good. All the vegetables are roasted and seasoned separately, to ensure that the filling tastes bright. Like the caramelized garlic tart quiche, the crust is blind-baked so the dough takes on a crispy texture to contrast with the soft custard filling.
The not-quiche quiche. Photo: Jonathan Lovekin
