Nothing is quite so quick and satisfying to assemble as a quiche. Provided you have a bit of Pâte Brisée in your freezer (and since it freezes beautifully you should), some eggs and heavy cream or half-and-half on hand, you can leave the rest up to the improvisations of the moment. A handful of mushrooms sauteed with a shallot and finished with a little sherry or Port to taste can join grated Swiss cheese in an elegant quiche. Onions and salami or pepperoni, left over from last night's pizza can be hearty and delicious. Combine cold crab meat with a bit of sauteed green pepper; team cooked chicken with black olives and Cheddar; try scallions sauteed in butter--add grated cheese as you like, or not at all. A bit of ham or bacon, fresh herbs, even some cooked Italian sausage--all can enliven a meal by flavoring a quiche. The possibilities are endless and always fascinating.
For a 10-inch quiche crust (and we think this is the best size) you will need 2 to 3 cups of filling and 3 eggs beaten with 1 1/2 cups of cream, heavy or light. Season the egg mixture generously with salt, nutmeg and fresh black pepper to taste. Top the assembled quiche with cheese if it seems appropriate.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of granulateed sugar
5 1/2 tablespoons (2/3 stick) sweet butter, chilled
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
1/4 cup ice water
Directions
Sift the flour, salt and sugar together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into dry ingredients with a pasty blender or 2 knives until mixture is like coarse meal.
Sprinkle on and blend in enough of the ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork.
Turn dough out onto your work surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, about 1/4 cup at a time. Scrape up the smeared dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Unwrap dough, place on floured work surface, and pound it a few times with your rolling pin to soften it. Roll it out 1/8 inch thick, or to desired thickness.
Drape dough over quiche pan or tart pan, ease it into the pan without stretching, pat into place, trim off excess, and crimp edge if desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400℉.
Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and prick the bottom and sides well with a fork. Line the pan with foil or wax paper; fill with beans or rice to weight the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, until dough is just beginning to color.
Remove from oven, remove weights and lining, and cool slightly. You now have a partially baked shell which can be filled and rebaked for a quiche or tart.
For a fully baked shell, for a fresh fruit tart, for example, remove weights and lining from shell after 10 minutes and continue to bake until it is golden brown and crisply flaky, about 25 minutes total. Cool completely before filling.
One 11-inch shell or 5 or 6 small tart shells.
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