Description
Ina Garten’s ham and cheese quiche delivers a classic French-inspired brunch delight with flaky pastry and rich, creamy filling. Cheese lovers appreciate its elegant simplicity and comforting flavors you’ll savor with each delectable bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 eggs (beaten)
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) half-and-half
- 1 (9 inch/23 cm) refrigerated pie pastry
- 1 cup (100 g) shredded Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup (50 g) shredded Swiss cheese
- ½ cup (85 g) diced cooked ham
- 2 tbsps honey mustard
- ¼ cup (40 g) chopped green onions
- 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Crust Preparation: Gently press pastry into a 9-inch pie plate, ensuring even coverage along bottom and sides.
- Blind Baking: Preheat oven to 400°F and partially bake crust for 10 minutes, piercing surface with fork to prevent bubbling, achieving a light golden color.
- Cheese Foundation: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and sprinkle a blend of sharp cheddar, Swiss cheese, and flour evenly across warm pastry base.
- Protein Layer: Coat diced ham with honey mustard and distribute carefully over cheese foundation, creating a flavorful protein element.
- Custard Creation: Whisk half-and-half, eggs, green onions, flour, and kosher salt into a smooth, silky custard mixture.
- Quiche Assembly: Pour custard gently over ham layer, allowing even distribution without disturbing underlying ingredients, then top with remaining cheddar cheese.
- Baking Process: Bake in preheated oven for 40-50 minutes until center sets and surface turns golden brown.
- Resting Stage: Remove from oven and let quiche rest for 10 minutes, allowing custard to stabilize and facilitate clean slicing.
Notes
- Blind Bake Technique: Par-baking the crust prevents soggy bottoms and ensures a crisp, golden foundation for your quiche.
- Cheese Distribution Trick: Mixing flour with cheese helps prevent liquid separation and creates a smooth, stable base layer.
- Mustard Coating Hack: Tossing ham in honey mustard adds unexpected depth and prevents bland protein layers.
- Resting Period Magic: Allowing the quiche to rest for 10 minutes after baking helps set the custard and makes clean, precise slicing possible.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg