Crustless Quiche

Taking the pastry out of a quiche removes the thing that normally absorbs stray moisture, which changes what the cook has to get right. The mushrooms are cooked until their liquid has actually evaporated, not just until they are hot, and the spinach goes in only until it wilts.

The other half of it is knowing when to stop baking. The recipe pulls the dish at a slight jiggle in the centre, because a custard that looks completely firm in the oven has already gone past where it should be.

Why This Recipe Works

• Cooking the mushrooms until the moisture releases and evaporates keeps that water out of the custard, where it would otherwise weep into the slices.
• Whisking the eggs gently and stopping at just combined avoids working air in — a frothy mix bakes up puffed and then sinks.
• Layering the fillings first and pouring the custard over means the vegetables stay distributed instead of floating to the top.
• A five to ten minute rest is what makes the slices cut clean rather than sliding apart.

Ingredient Notes

Mushrooms

Marked optional but recommended. If you use them, the 4-to-5-minute dry-off is the step that matters, not the slicing.

Spinach

A cup fresh, or three-quarters of a cup thawed frozen squeezed dry. The squeezing is the frozen equivalent of cooking the water out.

Nutmeg

An eighth of a teaspoon, in the custard rather than on top. It is the seasoning that reads as quiche rather than as baked eggs.

How to Make It

1. Heat the oven and butter the dish

   Oven to 350F (175C), and grease a 9-inch pie dish or deep-dish pan with butter.

2. Cook the vegetables dry

   Melt the remaining butter in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion 3 to 4 minutes until translucent, add the mushrooms and cook 4 to 5 minutes until their moisture has released and evaporated, then stir the spinach through just until it wilts. Take it off the heat and let it cool slightly.

3. Whisk the custard gently

   In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk or half-and-half, salt, pepper, garlic and nutmeg until just combined. Stop before it goes frothy.

4. Layer the fillings

   Scatter the cooked vegetables evenly in the dish, add the bacon or ham if you are using it, and sprinkle over most of the cheese, keeping a little back.

5. Pour and top

   Pour the egg mixture evenly over the fillings, then scatter the reserved cheese and the Parmesan if using.

6. Bake to a slight jiggle

   Bake 32 to 38 minutes, until the centre is just set with a slight jiggle and the top is lightly golden. The recipe is explicit about not overbaking.

7. Rest before slicing

   Rest 5 to 10 minutes for clean slices, then garnish with chives or parsley and serve warm.

Success Tips

• Let the cooked vegetables cool slightly before the custard meets them, as the recipe directs — hot filling starts setting the eggs before the dish reaches the oven.
• Judge doneness by the jiggle in the middle, not by the edges, which set well before the centre.
• Reserve a little cheese for the top rather than putting it all underneath; that is where the lightly golden surface comes from.

Serving Ideas

Six servings from a 9-inch dish, for breakfast, brunch and dinner alike.