Christoph and Steffi's Food and Travel & Christoph and Steffi's Food and Travel EN DE
A wedge lifted from a golden shortcrust quiche on a cream plate in natural light, browned mushrooms and sliced leek set in a pale custard with melted Gruyère and thyme
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Main French European Vegetarian

Mushroom, leek, and thyme quiche

An earthy vegetarian quiche with deeply browned mushrooms, sweet leek, thyme, and a nutty Alpine cheese. Cooking away all of the mushroom liquid gives the filling concentrated flavour and protects the crisp crust.

Prep35 min
Cook70 min
Rest15 min
Oven180°C
Servings4
Done at74 °C
Cook mode

Original recipe-book version, informed by King Arthur Baking and The Kitchn quiche guidance

Ingredients

Written for a 23 cm round tin

Units
Temperature
Servings
4

Crust

  • 300 g shortcrust pastry, refrigerated, thawed if frozen

Crust, made from scratch

  • 190 g all-purpose flour
  • 3 g fine salt
  • 115 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 45 ml ice water

Filling

  • 350 g brown or cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 20 g unsalted butter
  • 150 g leek, white and pale green part, halved, washed, and sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 g fresh thyme leaves, 2 tsp fresh, or 3/4 tsp dried
  • 120 g vegetarian Alpine cheese, grated
  • 2 g fine salt

Custard

  • 4 eggs, large
  • 150 ml whole milk
  • 150 ml heavy cream
  • 5 g Dijon mustard
  • 2 g fine salt
  • 1 g black pepper

Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.

Method

  1. If making the crust, mix the flour and salt. Cut in the butter until pieces range from sandy crumbs to small peas. Toss in 45 ml ice water and add the rest only until the dough holds together. Form a disk, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the butter and the mushrooms. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until their liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned.
  3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining butter, leek, and filling salt. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the leek is tender. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Spread the mixture on a plate to cool completely.
  4. Heat the oven to 200°C. Roll the pastry into a 30 cm round and line a 23 cm pie or tart pan. Trim and crimp, then chill for 15 minutes.
  5. Line the crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on a lower rack for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, prick any bubbles, and bake for 5 minutes more. Cool briefly. Lower the oven to 180°C.
  6. Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, Dijon, custard salt, and pepper just until smooth.
  7. Scatter half the cheese over the crust. Add the cooled mushroom mixture and remaining cheese, then pour in the custard.
  8. Bake on a rimmed tray for 35 to 42 minutes, until the edge is set and the centre still wobbles gently. Shield the pastry edge with foil if needed.
  9. Rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

  • Alpine cheese and rennet. Gruyère AOP is made with animal rennet, its AOP rules say so, and Comté and most Allgäuer Bergkäse and Emmentaler are the same. None of them are vegetarian. Look for a Bergkäse or Alpine-style cheese with mikrobielles Lab on the label, which the Bioland, Demeter and Alnatura cheeses usually carry, and it melts and browns exactly the same. If nobody at the table is vegetarian, buy the Gruyère.
  • Give the mushrooms room and let them brown; a crowded pan steams them. Cook in two batches if your skillet is small.
  • Wash sliced leek in a bowl of cold water, lift it out, and dry it before cooking so grit stays behind.
  • A small splash of dry white wine can be cooked completely away with the mushrooms, but no visible liquid should remain.
  • Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat gently or serve at room temperature.

Sources consulted

Good with

Sources consulted

From Christoph Mayer

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