Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Blind baking the crust before filling it guarantees it's crisp and flaky.
  • Freezing the pie shell, docking it, and using pie weights minimize shrinkage during blind baking, so that the shell will be deep enough to fill.

It's one of the stranger facts of my eating life that, despite my profound love of cheese, I have the habit of almost never finishing any of it. The dairy shelf on my fridge door is always littered with little packages of leftover cheese nubbins that I somehow manage to let languish until they're no longer fit to be eaten. I suspect that I'm not the only person guilty of this habit.

For those of us who are, the question is,what to do with all those leftover bits of cheese?

One of my favorite tricks is one I learned from my good friend Raffaella, on whose farm in Piedmont, Italy, I worked several years ago. Raffa always served cheese at the end of dinner, usually a plate with gorgonzola dolce, fontina, and assorted local cheeses, and inevitably after several days there'd be a nice little collection of leftover bits that needed to be dealt with so that new cheeses could take their place. Raffa's solution: Make a cheese pie.

Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (1)

She'd trim off the rinds and cut the cheeses into chunks, fill a pie shell with them, pouring a mixture of eggs and milk on top, and bake it until golden. We'd always eat it warm, so that the pockets of cheese were still melted. I have to say, as much as I loved the nightly cheese plate, I looked forward to that leftover-cheese pie* even more.

*It's funny, I have a years-long habit of calling this a pie, but I should point out that, in essence, it's really an assorted-cheese quiche; to avoid confusion, that's what I'm titling the recipe.

I love the cheese pie, first, because it's so damned good, but also because it's such a great example of resourceful and frugal cooking. Instead of letting those hunks of cheese grow old and stale (or moldy) until the only option left is to throw them out, this transforms them into something arguably even better than they were before (assuming you, like me, feel that melting cheese is nearly always an improvement).

I mean, just look at my dairy bin before and after I cooked up my own pie recently.

Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (2)

In this recipe, I useKenji's basic pie dough, though you can also use a pre-made pie shell to speed things up. I put mine in a fluted tart pan (a deeper one, not the really shallow ones often used for fruit tarts), but a regular pie plate will work too—you'll just have to serve it from the dish, since it won't be possible to remove the pie from the pie plate.

Then I blind-bake the crust to help ensure it stays flaky and crisp once the wet custard filling is added. You may get some shrinkage of the crust after blind-baking, though I've added steps, including freezing the crust before baking, docking it and using pie weights, to minimize the effect. Even with a little shrinkage, the recipe still works.

As for the cheeses themselves, just about any soft or semi-soft cheese will work—Cheddar, Gruyere, Fontina, fresh goat cheese, Gorgonzola, Stilton, etc. I'd avoid cheeses that are likely to dump water, like fresh mozzarella, and hard cheeses that won't melt well, like Parmigiano-Reggiano (though you could finely grate some Parm into the custard base for extra flavor without any trouble). Just trim off the rinds and cut them into cubes, or break softer cheeses into small chunks.

Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (3)

And while this is brilliant for its use of leftover cheeses, you can, of course, just buy the cheese expressly for the pie, especially if you're not the type to let any cheese linger in your fridge. My only advice is to try to use a blend of different cheeses. Part of the fun is taking a bite and not knowing which blob of cheese is going to flood your mouth.

Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (4)

February 2015

Recipe Details

Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe

Active25 mins

Total2 hrs

Serves6to 8 servings

Makes1 pie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 recipeeasy pie dough, rolled out to a 12-inch circle (see notes)

  • 1 cup heavy cream (see notes)

  • 1 cup whole milk (see notes)

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Freshlyground black pepper

  • 8 ounces mixed rindless soft and semi-soft cheeses (such as Gruyere, Fontina, Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Jack, etc.), cubed or broken into small clumps

  • Minced chives, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Lay pie dough into an 8-inch tart pan or pie dish (at least 1 1/2 inches deep), and trim excess dough around the edge. Press dough gently into edges, then, with a docker or the tines of a fork, poke holes in even rows across the base and around the wall of dough. Freeze for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

    Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (5)

  2. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and set rack to center position. Line dough with parchment paper, allowing it to overhang the sides, and fill the pan with pie weights, dried beans, or dry rice. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment paper, wrap edges of the pie dough with tin foil, and return to the oven. Bake until lightly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and lower oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).

  3. In a large bowl, whisk cream and milk with eggs until thoroughly incorporated. Whisk salt and pepper into custard base.

    Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (6)

  4. Scatter cheese all over bottom of pie and set on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to the oven, then carefully pour custard base into pie (you can slide the oven rack out slightly to help with this, but be sure to push it back gently to avoid spilling the pie filling). Bake until center is just barely set but still jiggles when touched, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm, sprinkling minced chives on top, if desired.

    Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (7)

Special Equipment

8-inch tart pan or pie plate (at least 1 1/2 inches deep)

Notes

For ease, you can also use a pre-made pie crust, blind-baking according to manufacturer instructions and following recipe from step 3.

This recipe calls for one cup each heavy cream and whole milk, but you can also substitute two cups of half-and-half.

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Easy Mixed-Cheese Quiche Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can I use milk instead of heavy cream for quiche? ›

Using just heavy cream produces an overly thick filling. Whole milk is great, but a combo of heavy cream and milk is better. Eggs – Use 4 eggs per 1 cup of milk. Some quiche recipes throw in an extra egg yolk or two, but I don't find it necessary with the ratio of ingredients in my recipe.

What is the formula for quiche? ›

What Is the Best Eggs-to-Dairy Ratio for Quiche? The ratio maintains your custard's consistency. A good quiche custard typically features: 1 large egg to 1/2 cups of dairy.

Can you put too many eggs in a quiche? ›

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. Follow This Tip: Remember this ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy.

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 happens if I use milk instead of heavy cream? ›

You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe. This substitute is especially useful in cooking, but it may alter the texture of baked goods and will not whip as well as heavy cream.

Why do you put flour in quiche? ›

Roll it out a tad bit thicker than you normally would for a standard pie if possible, and absolutely use it all. Confidently press any overhang or extra pieces into the walls of your pan. Add flour to your filling: Adding a bit of flour to your quiche filling helps absorb moisture and stabilize things in general.

How many eggs make 1 cup? ›

Five large eggs equals approximately one cup volume. Substitute four extra large eggs, six medium eggs or seven small eggs. Six large eggs equals approximately one cup plus three tablespoons volume.

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 is the secret to crispy bottom pie crust? ›

Getting a brown, flaky/crispy bottom crust on your pie is all about quick and effective heat transfer. That's why aluminum or aluminum/steel pans — rather than glass or stoneware — are your best choice for baking pie. Metal, especially aluminum, transfers heat quickly and efficiently from oven to pie crust.

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.

Why is there liquid at the bottom of my quiche? ›

If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

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.

Can I use 2 percent milk in quiche? ›

The Custard: For your custard to set properly in the oven, use this easy ratio: 1 part dairy to 2 parts eggs. Classic custards use heavy cream, but 2% milk contains a fraction of the saturated fat and is still plenty rich.

How do you know if eggs are set in quiche? ›

To check doneness, insert a knife into the centre of the quiche. If it comes out clean it's done!

How to substitute milk for cream in quiche? ›

Pour melted butter—which is essentially pure milkfat—into whole milk or even half-and-half, so that the mixture has a fat content similar to that of heavy cream. To make this two-ingredient heavy cream substitute, PopSugar recommends mixing ¾ cup of whole milk with ⅓ cup of melted and cooled butter.

What can I substitute for heavy cream in a quiche? ›

Use half-and-half as a 1:1 substitute for heavy cream. It can work nearly as well for bringing creamy texture and flavor to sauces, soups and stews, mashed potatoes, quiches, and casseroles. In a pinch, it can even be used for whipping. While you won't get stiff peaks, you can build volume if you work quickly.

Can I use 2% milk instead of heavy cream for quiche? ›

Classic custards use heavy cream, but 2% milk contains a fraction of the saturated fat and is still plenty rich. Flavor your custard with salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and fresh herbs such as chives, oregano, parsley or tarragon.

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.

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