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.
Why do you put flour in quiche? ›
Here are a couple things to focus on if you want to bake an exceptional quiche.
- Thicker crust: Establishing a great crust is everything in the quiche realm. ...
- Add flour to your filling: Adding a bit of flour to your quiche filling helps absorb moisture and stabilize things in general.
You want to cook your quiche low and slow to keep the light fluffy texture. Too high of heat will cause the egg to curdle.
Why does my quiche fall apart? ›
The recipe may also contain too much dairy, so make sure that the recipe you are following has the ratio of 4 eggs to 1 cup dairy. The added ingredients could also contain too much moisture, so it is important to cook or drain additions. Quiche should have a little movement even when fully set.
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 is the formula for 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)
Why put nutmeg in quiche? ›
When making quiche, I always use heavy cream over milk or half-and-half. Salt, cayenne pepper, ground nutmeg: These seasonings flavor of the quiche, with salt balancing the flavors, cayenne pepper adding a slight heat, and ground nutmeg providing a warm, nutty undertone.
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.
Should vegetables be cooked before putting in quiche? ›
"Vegetables will take longer to cook than your egg custard, so always sauté onions, steam broccoli, etc. before you add them to your egg mixture to ensure every bite of quiche will be perfectly cooked," says Kristin Beringson, executive chef at Henley in Nashville.
Do you need to prebake pie crust for quiche? ›
Some recipes like quiches recommend partially cooked pie shells because the baking time wouldn't be long enough to fully cook the dough otherwise. Pre-baking a crust can ensure that your pie or tart crust will be fully baked and browned, and not soggy.
BEAT eggs, milk, thyme and salt in medium bowl until blended. Carefully POUR over filling in pie shell. BAKE in center of 375°F oven until center is almost set but jiggles slightly when dish is gently shaken and knife inserted near center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
How to stop filling sinking in quiche? ›
Traditionally, the custard for a quiche is not thickened before it goes into the tart case but this will prevent the filling ingredients from sinking to the base of this deep-filled quiche. If you prefer not to cook the custard, you will need to increase the quiche cooking time slightly.
What rack of the oven is best for quiche? ›
Go for the bottom rack when you bake quiche
As you may have already deduced, that makes the bottom rack the best place for quiche, according to The Kitchn. An ideal quiche is characterized by a moist filling held in place by a crisp crust, but that crispness can be hard to achieve with the wetness of the egg custard.
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.
Why is milk needed in a quiche? ›
Milk plays an important role in helping quiche be the right consistency. In a separate article from The Kitchn, highlighting the fat content of the chosen dairy will determine how thick and firm the quiche will bake to be. The higher the fat content of the dairy, the lighter it will be, advises The Recipe Critic.
