Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Onion Quiche


I needed to be out this afternoon, so I baked this ahead and served it cold for dinner. That's really the main appeal of quiche, the versatility of a hot or cold dish. Danny likes it because he gets to eat pie for dinner.


This recipe uses an ungodly amount of onions. There's only two eggs in it, but my goodness there's onions-a-plenty. Seven cups!


This takes a bit of time to prepare, particularly if you are making your own pastry. I think the results are worth it, but I feel it is worth pointing out that this is a bit of a project compared to say, a fritata.


I used my standard pie crust recipe and the onion quiche recipe from Mastering The Art Of French cooking.I did cheat a bit on carmelising the onions by adding a tablespoon of sugar to the onions (they were pretty strong onions to begin with) and covering the onions for part of the cooking time. It still takes about an hour to cook the onions either way, but i achieved better colour from the onions adding the sugar and cover. I've made this particular recipe many, many times and have never had it fail. It is one of my family's favourite meals.


You Will Need:


Pie crust for a single layer, baked with weights for seven minutes at 400 degrees F. Then, pricked with a fork and baked another five or until it begins to colour and pull away from the sides. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Use your favourite recipe or mine HERE.


For The Quiche:


7 cups onions, chopped

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 eggs

2/3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

1 tablespoon butter cut into pea-sized pieces


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. with the rack in the upper third of the oven.


Cook the onions in a large pan in the butter and oil over low heat. This will take about an hour. You can add a tablespoon of sugar and cover the onions part of the time to hurry the process along, but it is not a requirement.


When onions are very soft and golden, add the flour and mix well, stirring for about three minutes until thickened. remove from heat and cool slightly.


Beat the eggs and cream together in a large bowl. Add seasonings. Add half the cheese. Add the onion mixture gradually, stirring well. Pour into prepared pie crust and top with the rest of the cheese and dot with the butter.


Bake 25-35 minutes until quiche has puffed and is browned. Serve warm or cold.

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