What You Need To Do With Vegetables Before Adding Them To Quiche
Flaky crust, savory custard-like filling, and drool-worthy flavor combinations, a quiche is the perfect addition to any weekend brunch. Most notable is the quiche Lorraine, but quiches can be made with a variety of fillings. The custard base, which is made from a simple mixture of egg and milk or cream, makes the quiche the perfect go-to breakfast because almost anything can be added to it. Have spring onions on hand? What about some leftover spinach or artichoke? The filling ideas are limitless when it comes to a quiche.
Almost any combination of vegetables would work well in a quiche making them both easy and economical. Some people, however, find that certain vegetables ruin their quiche by not cooking fully. Given that the crust of a quiche is usually popped in the oven prior to filling for a blind bake, the filling itself only bakes until fully set. This being said, have you ever added vegetables into a quiche and found they just ruined it? This should never be the case. So, what's the secret to ensuring your vegetables are fully cooked and melting into the quiche?
Cook your veggies first
Whether you decide to add broccoli, peppers, or mushrooms into your quiche, cooking them prior to adding them into your egg mixture is a must. Kristin Beringson, the executive chef at Henley in Nashville, told Real Simple need to be pre-cooked before being added to your quiche. She said vegetables can take longer to cook than the egg custard, so pre-cooking them — whether sautéing or steaming — helps the whole dish cook evenly.
The Kitchn also notes that many people mess up quiche by using fillings that are too wet. Any additional moisture added through the vegetables can mess up the ratio of egg to dairy and might prevent your quiche from setting properly. Roasting vegetables that tend to give off lots of water, like eggplant or sautéing mushrooms, helps to remove the moisture in the vegetables. Be sure to drain off or squeeze out any excess moisture from your cooked vegetables before adding them to your egg mixture.
So, next time you are thinking of making a quiche, get a little funky and creative with your flavor combinations, but make sure to pre-cook your veggies and reduce the amount of liquid in them! When you get a perfectly cooked quiche, instead of a wet mess or bite of raw veggies, you'll be glad you did.