The thing that always stumps me about quiche is the crust. The pastry crust for quiche needs to be par-baked before adding the filling, otherwise it won’t cook through and will be soggy (and nobody likes a soggy-bottomed quiche). My go-to pie crust has a tendency to shrink a lot when par-baked, and other pie crust recipes I’ve tried that are supposed to be “more suited” to par-baking come out with the texture of cardboard (just as bad as a soggy-bottomed crust).

So, I’ve been looking for a pastry crust that stays flaky and doesn’t shrink too much when par-baked, and I finally found one! Also, I discovered the secret to stopping the pastry from sliding down the sides of the pie plate while baking. Success!

Minimum shrinkage and maximum flakiness

The great thing about quiche is that it is infinitely adaptable to whatever you have on hand. I happened to have some beautiful locally grown leeks and Swiss chard, and I threw in some prosciutto for flavour. Yum. I only used three eggs in the custard filling, but it could have used a bit more, so I’m increasing the amount of custard in the recipe. Enjoy!

Leek, Swiss Chard & Prosciutto Quiche

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt together:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Add:

2 cups chopped leek (about 1 large leek)

1 clove garlic, chopped

Cook until softened, then turn the heat down to medium and cook until the leeks start to caramelize. Add:

4 cups chopped chard (remove the stalks if they are tough)

Cook until the chard is wilted and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, chop:

60 grams thinly sliced prosciutto ham

Set aside.

For the custard, combine:

4 eggs

3/4 cup plain yogurt or milk

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne

Pretend there are 4 eggs in here…

To assemble the quiche, sprinkle a handful of grated parmesan cheese over the bottom of the cooled par-baked pie crust (recipe below). Top with half the prosciutto, then the leek and chard mixture, and then the rest of the prosciutto. Sprinkle with another handful of parmesan, and pour the custard evenly over the filling. Bake at 350˚F for 40-45 minutes, until the middle of the quiche is just set. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Baked Single-Crust Pie Shell

From The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook. Makes one 9″ single pie crust.

In a bowl, combine:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

Add:

1/4 cup each cold butter and shortening, cubed (or 1/2 cup butter only)

Cut into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine:

1 egg yolk

1 tsp lemon juice

enough ice water to make 1/3 cup

Drizzle the egg mixture over the flour mixture and toss briskly with a fork to combine into a shaggy dough. Press the dough into a flattened disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to fit a 9″ pie plate. Press the pastry into the pie plate, making sure it fits snugly against the bottom and sides (this will help minimize shrinkage). Cut off the excess pastry by rolling your rolling pin over the top edges of the pie plate. Refrigerate while the oven preheats to 400˚F.

When the oven is ready, line the pastry crust with foil and fill it with pastry weights (little ceramic marbles) or dried beans or rice, making sure to push the weights up against the sides (this will help prevent the pastry from melting down the sides). Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and foil and prick the pastry all over with a fork. Bake 10 minutes more, until lightly golden. Let cool before filling.