A few weeks ago, I had a special guest over for dinner: my American pen friend Amy, whose family hosted me in their Michigan home the summer I turned fifteen.
This was a life-defining trip for me: it was my first time in the US, a.k.a. the coolest country in the world in the eyes of this French teen, and Amy’s parents made it count in a way I’ll forever be grateful for, taking us on roadtrips in their minivan (with a television and VCR inside!) to Canada and to New York City (New York City!), and generally making sure I had a grand time.
Everything was a source of gleeful amazement to me, from the size of the backyard to the whole-house air-conditioning, from the gigantic malls to the extra frilly decorations in every girl’s room I visited, from the frozen waffles I was allowed to have every morning (every morning!) with bottled chocolate syrup to my first PB&J (which I did not “get” at the time), from the powerful smell of popcorn in movie theaters to the different kinds of fast food (burgers! tacos! pizzas!) Amy’s father picked up on his way home from work most nights.
Nobody would mistake it for the classic egg-and-cream quiche filling, but it hit all the right notes: creamy but pleasantly set, richly flavorful on its own but subtle enough to let the other ingredients shine.
Amy and I got along famously, but we lost touch as teenagers will — and probably did even more easily in that pre-Internet era. In recent years I searched for her on Facebook every once in a while, but turned up empty. Eventually it is she who wrote in, letting me know she’d soon be traveling through Europe and stopping for a few days in Paris. Would I be up for a little reunion?
The least I could do was invite her to dinner and she said yes, noting that she was now a vegan. I wanted to make her something homey and French, something I would serve to any of my old girlfriends, and decided on a quiche filled with greens, in the style of this greens and walnut quiche.
Obviously the egg-milk-and-cream filling would not do, so I looked for a vegan alternative and was intrigued by this idea of a filling based on chickpea flour, thickened to a custardy consistency on the stove, and flavored with spices and nutritional yeast, the go-to vegan ingredient when a cheesy note is needed.
The filling was very easy to prepare — I made it and my olive oil tart crust the day before — and it garnished the quiche in the most satisfying way. Nobody would mistake it for the classic egg-and-cream custard of course, but it hit all the right notes: creamy but pleasantly set, richly flavorful on its own but subtle enough to let the other ingredients shine.
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Have you kept in touch with your foreign exchange friends, and what would you serve if you had them over for dinner now? Have you ever made a vegan quiche, and what type of filling did you use?
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Vegan Quiche Filling Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
For one 30-cm (12-inch) quiche.
Ingredients
- 100 grams (1 cup) chickpea flour (available from natural foods stores and Indian markets, also labeled as gram flour or besan)
- 15 grams (1/4 cup) nutritional yeast (available from natural foods stores)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, salt, nutmeg, and turmeric. Add the mustard and whisk in 240 ml (1 cup) fresh water.
- Pour 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) fresh water in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the chickpea mixture and bring back to a simmer.
- Cook over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened.
- The quiche filling is now ready to use, but you can also pour it into a container and refrigerate until the next day. It will thicken and separate, but that's okay: simply whisk it back into shape.
- To use, combine it with the other quiche ingredients and pour into a blind-baked quiche shell, such as my olive oil tart crust, parbaked for 10 minutes at 180°C (360°F).
- Bake at 180°C (360°F) for 25 minutes, then brush the top with olive oil (this gives a nice sheen to the otherwise matte finish of the filling) and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Serve hot or just slightly warm.
Notes
https://cnz.to/recipes/vegetables-grains/vegan-quiche-filling-recipe/
Unless otherwise noted, all recipes are copyright Clotilde Dusoulier.
FAQs
While it is not as traditional for quiches such as quiche Lorraine, you can use milk instead of heavy cream for quiche.
What makes a quiche curdle? ›
Quiche should not be cooked at too high of a temperature to avoid curdling the eggs. Many recipes call for baking quiche at temperatures between 325° F and 375° F. If you are baking at a high altitude, the temperature and bake times will need to be adjusted.
Why is my quiche like scrambled egg? ›
Using too many eggs in the custard.
The best quiche consists of a custard that's the perfect ratio between eggs and milk. Using too many eggs in the custard results in a quiche that rubbery and too firm when baked, while not using enough will prevent the custard from setting.
Why is my quiche so puffy? ›
Baking at the wrong temperature
That range is too high for this dish. If you have ever noticed your quiche filling get puffy (almost like a soufflé), high chances are your oven was too hot. Your filling should have a velvety consistency instead of too eggy. The best oven temperature to bake quiche is 325 F.
What is the ratio of eggs to milk in a quiche? ›
Quiche Ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy
You'll need to increase the amount of eggs and milk based on the size of your quiche, so knowing the basic ratio makes it really easy to scale up or down. For a standard 9-inch quiche: Use 3 large eggs (6 ounces) 1 1/2 cups of whole milk or cream (12 ounces)
What can I use if I don't have heavy cream or milk? ›
Substitutes for heavy cream can include options like a soy milk-olive oil combo, evaporated milk, and coconut cream, among others. Heavy cream features in a wide variety of recipes, including soups, sauces, homemade butter, ice cream, and sour cream.
What not to put in quiche? ›
Avoid Fillings That Are Too Wet
"Some vegetables, such as sliced large tomatoes or raw zucchini, have a high water content and will make your quiche soggy (even if you follow all steps to avoid this!)," Davila notes.
What is the secret to a fluffy quiche? ›
Baking: Be sure to preheat your oven and bake the quiche at the right temperature. A moderate oven temperature allows the custard to set gently, promoting a fluffy texture. Resting: Allowing the quiche to rest for a few minutes after baking can help the custard set and achieve a fluffy, creamy texture.
Can you put too many eggs in a quiche? ›
The Kitchn cautions that using too many eggs can make the consistency of the quiche rubbery and tough, while using too few eggs can prevent the custard filling from setting properly, giving you a runny, soggy quiche. The recommended proportion is one egg to one-half cup of cream or milk.
Why does my quiche sink when I take it out of the oven? ›
Excess moisture is one reason why quiches collapse in a watery pool on your plate. Vegetables and meats like ham give off tremendous amounts of water when they're cooked. Therefore, if you're using vegetables in your quiche, it's imperative that you cook them first.
A frittata is partially cooked in a skillet on the cooktop then finished in the oven. It also has a lower egg to dairy ratio making it closer to an open faced omelet than a pie. Quiche has a creamier, custard-like texture due to more dairy and is cooked entirely in the oven.
Can you put too much cheese in quiche? ›
A Few General Rules for Making Perfect Quiches
This will help to prevent the quiche crust from getting soggy, though disregard If you are making a classic quiche Lorraine. 2. Never use more than 2 cups of cheese. Too much cheese will make the quiche not set properly.
Do you need to prebake pie crust for quiche? ›
And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll out your homemade or purchased refrigerated dough into a 12-inch circle.
What temperature should a quiche be cooked at? ›
Place quiche on baking sheet. Bake uncovered in hot oven until quiche reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees, 20-25 minutes.
What happens if you use milk instead of heavy cream in pasta? ›
But milk won't whip like heavy cream. Can I use milk instead of heavy cream in pasta? Yes. Use whole milk and stir in a flour-butter mixture to thicken and enrich pasta dishes instead of heavy cream.
Can you use milk instead of heavy cream for eggs? ›
Use 1 tablespoon of cream, milk or water for each egg that will be scrambled. Using milk, half & half or even whipping cream creates a deliciously creamy texture.
How do I substitute dry milk for heavy cream? ›
If you find yourself short on heavy cream but you happen to have powdered milk in your pantry, try using it to give your dishes some added thickness and creaminess. One or 2 tablespoons of powdered milk can help to thicken sauces and soups that have a liquid base of something other than cream.
What can I substitute for half-and-half in a quiche? ›
Half-and-Half Substitute: Milk + Cream
If it's heavy cream that's in your fridge, for 1 cup half-and-half, substitute ¾ cup milk plus ¼ cup heavy cream. If your household is more of a low-fat milk kind of place, adjust the ratio to account for the missing fat: 2/3 cup low-fat milk plus 1/3 cup heavy cream.
