Smoked Salmon And Spring Vegetable Quiche Recipe

An elevated quiche has a way of being truly unforgettable. A breakfast classic known for being meticulously prepared, a well-made quiche can impress any breakfast guest with its buttery crust, rich custard filling, and browned cheesy exterior. While you can never go wrong with fillings as classic as a quiche Lorraine, you can really make an impressive pie with a few unexpected add-ins. 

Combining quiche with another famously beloved breakfast favorite, developer Michelle McGlinn shares below a smoked salmon and spring vegetable quiche that is packed with the delicate flavors of seasonal veg. Fragrant leeks, peas, and dill combine with creamy mozzarella, all nestled inside a flaky pie crust. To finish the quiche (and add to the pretty presentation), a quick crème fraîche and caper sauce is drizzled on every slice and topped with dill. Somewhere between New York's bagels and lox and Scandinavia's salmon and cream, this quiche is made for smoked salmon fanatics — or anyone who likes a good springtime quiche.

To make the crust of the quiche, you'll need flour, salt, sugar, butter, and cold water. The coldest water out of your tap is fine, but you can also add ice cubes to a cup of water, let them melt, and pour the amount you need into a measuring cup (this way, it prevents the butter from getting soft as you knead). With the crust made, you'll need olive oil, leeks, smoked salmon, and peas to fill the quiche. 

For the custard (the main event), you'll need a few large eggs and heavy cream. You can also use half milk, half heavy cream, or swap for half and half — just keep the measured amount the same. From there, you'll need black pepper, dill, and mozzarella. For the creamy sauce topping, you'll need crème fraîche, capers and their juice, and lemon juice.

To make the crust, add the flour, sugar, and ½ teaspoon of salt to a food processor. Pulse to combine.

Add the cold butter and pulse until butter is cut into pea-sized pieces and incorporated throughout the flour mixture.

Add the water slowly, pulsing until ball of dough forms.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Form into a ball.

Press into a disc and wrap dough in plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Roll the dough into a large circle, about 12 inches in diameter.

Press the dough into a 9-inch pie tin. Flute, crimp, or shape the edges as desired. Chill for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Line the crust with parchment then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes, until firm and slightly golden.

Remove the parchment and weights and poke holes into the bottom of the crust with a fork.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.

In the meantime, add oil to a skillet over medium heat.

Saute the leeks until soft, about 3-4 minutes.

Transfer the leeks to the pie crust. Add the salmon pieces (reserving some for topping, if desired) and peas.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell. Top with dill and mozzarella.

Return the pie to the oven and bake until center is set, about 40-50 minutes.

While the quiche is baking, use a spatula to stir together the crème fraîche, capers with juice, and lemon juice.

Let the quiche cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. To serve, top with crème fraîche mixture, fresh dill, and extra salmon if desired.

Quiche is an all-day project, which is inconvenient being that it is usually considered a breakfast food. To get quiche on the table before noon, you either have to wake up extra early (not ideal) or prep the quiche the day before. Luckily, quiche is easy to make and store through every step of the process. If you only have a small amount of time to prep, you can simply mix and knead the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill or freeze until ready to use. If you have a little more time, knead and chill the dough, then roll and shape the dough into the pie dish and wrap tightly in plastic (while avoiding squishing your work as much as possible). Chill for up to five days or freeze for up to six months. With the crust made, the daunting prep time shrinks to barely 10 minutes, leaving you with a much more manageable hour of cooking.

It's important to par- or blind-bake a pie crust before adding the filling so that you don't end up with a soggy, doughy bottom crust. Especially with quiche, which has a completely liquid filling, pre-baking prevents the egg from seeping into the raw dough. You can both par-bake or blind bake a quiche, the difference only being a few minutes longer in the oven; but we recommend leaning towards the longer time for a better, sturdier final result. 

What you're looking for, then, is a light golden brown color and a firm (but not crumbly) texture. If the crust starts browning deeper, you risk burning the edges during the second bake – if this happens, simply cover the edges with foil and continue the bake. Whether you par-bake or blind-bake, don't skip the pie weights (or beans), which help prevent the crust from shrinking inwards — the last thing we want is a small, shrunken, soggy salmon quiche.