Quiche & Soup Recipe

Make crust

In a medium bowl combine 1 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Cut 1/2 cup cold, cubed unsalted butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-size bits. Sprinkle 1 to 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture and gently toss with a fork until dough just comes together. Do not overwork. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Roll and blind-bake crust

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough to fit a 9-inch tart or pie pan with 1/2-inch overhang. Press dough into pan, trim excess, and flute edges. Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 15 minutes, then remove weights and parchment and bake 5–7 more minutes until just set and lightly golden. Reduce oven to 350°F (175°C).

Prepare filling vegetables

While crust chills, heat 1 tbs olive oil or butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 medium thinly sliced onion (or other chosen vegetables) and 1/2 tsp salt. Sauté until softened and lightly golden, 7–10 minutes. If using mushrooms, add 1 clove minced garlic and cook until moisture evaporates. If using spinach, cook until wilted and squeeze excess liquid. If using broccoli, briefly steam or sauté until just tender. Set vegetables aside to cool slightly.

Make custard

In a bowl whisk together 4 eggs, 1 cup whole milk or half-and-half, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried), 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir in 1 cup shredded Gruyère (or preferred cheese) and the cooled vegetables.

Assemble and bake

Reduce oven to 350°F if not already. Pour filling into pre-baked crust, smoothing top. Bake on center rack 30–35 minutes or until custard is set but still slightly jiggly in center and top is light golden. Let cool 10–15 minutes before slicing to allow slices to set. Garnish with chopped parsley and additional cracked pepper if desired.

Caramelize onions

In a large heavy-bottomed pot melt 2 tbs butter with 1 tbs olive oil over medium-low heat. Add 4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring frequently, lowering heat if edges brown too quickly, until onions are deep golden brown and richly caramelized, 30–40 minutes. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp sugar in the middle of cooking if helpful to accelerate caramelization.

Deglaze and simmer

When onions are deeply caramelized, increase heat to medium and add 1/2 cup dry white wine or sherry (if using). Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pot and let the wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes. Add 4 cups beef stock (for classic) or vegetable stock (for vegetarian), 1 bay leaf, and 1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried). Bring to a gentle simmer and let the soup simmer 15–20 minutes to marry flavors. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.

Prepare to serve with cheese toasts

While soup simmers, preheat broiler. Arrange 8 baguette slices on a baking sheet and top each with a generous sprinkle of 1 cup grated Gruyère or Swiss. Broil until cheese is bubbling and golden, 1–2 minutes — watch carefully to avoid burning.

Finish and plate

Remove bay leaf from soup. Ladle hot soup into ovenproof bowls, float one cheese toast on top (or place toast in bowl and ladle soup over and then top with more cheese), and place under broiler briefly if you want melted cheese on top of the bowl (optional — use caution with hot bowls). Garnish with a pinch of fresh parsley and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.

Serve one wedge of quiche alongside a bowl of French onion soup (or soup du jour). Offer vegetarian option by using vegetable stock for the soup and selecting vegetarian quiche fillings (spinach, mushrooms, cheese).