Do you know I just don’t care for really egg-y things? Not in the brioche or challah or velvetty-yolk-mixed-into-a-carbonara sense, but more in the overcooked-breakfast-eggs-served-on-a-buffet sense, typical of most quiches I have been introduced to. In the spirit of trying new things though, I wanted to give this quiche a go because, well, that is what cooking through a book like this is all about. Being open to new experiences. Taking a “risk”, and challenging your personal status quo.
I didn’t think I had any cornmeal for the pastry crust, but it turns out I did; not an oft-used jar that gave off a puff of air and corn meal mist when unsealed, much like I imagine the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb to be. The cornmeal leant a savory and unexpected flavor to the pastry crust. It was easy enough to make the dough the night before and roll it out in time for making dinner. If working through Baking Chez Moi has taught me anything, it is better planning for multiple stages!
A few substitutions included using diced prosciutto (I had the counter cut me a 1/2″ thick slab) instead of cooked ham, and using Gruyere in lieu of blue cheese. Blue cheese just isn’t my thing, if I am being honest, but I am happy to make this recipe my own in any event, just as everyone should do when they have learned the basics of any technique.
Did anyone else have a hard time mixing together the cream cheese and heavy cream? I had put this on my stand mixer, and started with a paddle attachment, which helped to soften the cream cheese but did nothing to integrate the two ingredients, so I switched to the whisk, and then ultimately by hand, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. There was some incorporation, but ultimately I had some large chunks of cream cheese throughout. I don’t think that this ruined the quiche at all; once it was baked off and everything melded, you wouldn’t know, but I did feel like a failure over such a basic thing.
So how did I like this? I loved it. It was so savory and flavorful. There were so many flavor and textural nuances that made the experience of eating this so enjoyable, from the sweet softness of the pear chunks, to the chewy savory-ness of the prosciutto and the rich savory-ness of the different cheeses. The eggs were a complement to every other ingredient, rather than the main focus, which was a differentiator for me over other egg related dishes. I served this with a baby arugula salad dressed with a mustard vinaigrette, which I served to help cut the richness of the tart, and also poured Corvo Moscato, which really complemented the pear, and provided a light sweetness against the richness of the quiche. Greedily we cut extra slivers for ourselves because we just could not get enough.
Would I make (and eat) this again? Hell yes. While I don’t think I am running out to eat every quiche, I think I might just ok with this being the only arsenal in my quiche repertoire.
The 2nd 35 Years 
Great, a quiche convert. Well, a My Paris Kitchen-quiche convert. Yes, I also had trouble incorporating my refrigerated cream cheese into the mix. (Paddle. Mixture. Beat like hell.) That’s why I suggested, in my printed recipe, to bring the cream cheese (as well as the eggs) to room temperature. Bringing Tutankhamun’s tomb into a comment about food may not seem appetizing but I do know what you meant by the puff of air. I liked the addition of corn meal into the pastry (not my specialty at all) and it worked well for me. Great post. I enjoyed reading it.
I did encountered some minor resistance from the cream cheese. But they submitted to the sustained whipping. I think you elevated this quiche with prosciutto, gruyere, arugula, mustard vinaigrette and Corvo Moscato. Great choices!
I was so enamored with the final result that I forgot to mention my woes. I used room temperature cream cheese (actually Neufchatel which is slightly softer to begin with) and I had a hard time blending it. I started with an electric hand mixer, which just made a mess. It was the immersion blender that finally worked. Next time I might pull out the regular blender so nothing splatters. Your salad sounds like the perfect thing to cut the richness.
An immersion blender is such a good ide. I will have to try that next time l.
I echo your quiche sentiments!
Glad to know that you are a quiche convert now! 🙂
Great post!! And you had me at your title. Your change-up in ingredients was brilliant! Great combination. Like Betsy, I had my cream cheese at room temp, and I will admit to whisking in just some of the cream first to loosen it up – made it a bit easier – but even with some bits of cream cheese within the custard, I bet it was fabulous!!!
Yours looks really wonderful, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe – making it and eating it!!
Thank you! I will have to try your suggestion on the cream cheese… see if that will work better next time.
I really liked that the crust was not pre baked it saved some time and the curst was just perfect. I did not have a problem with the cream cheese. I used Philadelphia at room temperature.
Seems to be a common theme with room temp cream cheese. I must do that next time!
I’m so glad this was a hit for you – I loved everything about this quiche, too.
Yeah! I love how you varied it to fit your tastes and kudos to you for trying it despite the typical ooky-ness of too many eggs in quiche. I don’t know how many Dorie quiches you’ve made, but hers by and large have few eggs (like 3 total) so the focus is on vegetables. I, too, am not a fan of the very same egg textures that bother you. And, yeah, I left my cream cheese out to soften for a bit. I also think it’s the cream cheese and the cream that made the texture so awesome. Loved your post, Nicole!
Even softened cream cheese was tough to fully incorporate with the cream… Nicely done!
Thank you Mardi!
So glad you liked it! The moscato sounds like a great accompaniment!
Nicole, I love the idea of gruyere, I thought the blue cheese was strong – but I LOVE blue cheese so I was happy with it. I too am not an eggy lover, but this was good
Love your post, your quiche look fabulous. Love the sound of switches of ingredients you used and I love the cornmeal in the pastry. I blended everything in hubby’s super sonic blender, so that part was easy for me.