The calendar flips to March marking the arrival of spring but the temperatures are definitely still clinging to winter. While winter farmers markets may not have the depth of the spring or summer harvests, there are still so many options….even if you stick with just one ingredient. This Caramelized Onion Quiche features market onions simmered slowly and layered into a flaky pie crust, topped with cheese and then coated with an unctuous custard. It is warming and soothing served warm from the oven but even the next day, the flavors coalesce into a deeply satisfying meal that somehow manages to be warming yet light.
Over the years and only occasionally, I’ve made my pie crust. Without fail, it would always be a disappointment. I love a soft flaky crust that easily yields to the touch, or even the mere suggestion of a fork. My creations would emerge tough and shrunken, difficult to cut through even with some vigorous involvement of a sharp knife. Fed up, I decided to make it my mission to make a pie crust I can actually enjoy. It’s funny that cooking and baking are perhaps the only arenas where I can easily brush off failure and pick up everything to start again. Over and over, I read through recipes and articles to try to make my own successful version. A recipe that I could memorize and master and reach for any time I wanted a crust. Fortunately for you, I think I have a foolproof recipe that is easy to remember and forgiving to the less adept bakers, a club in which I consider myself a member.
I think the key to the crust is adding an egg and the key to remembering the ingredients is to keep it simple. One cup flour, one stick butter, one egg and a 1/2 teaspoon salt is easy to remember and has worked for me every time. I believe it is the egg that makes the difference. I sometimes use just a yolk but I view that as an advancement that still needs some tweaking as it makes the dough more difficult to roll out. However, the result is even flakier. Using a whole egg makes the dough easier to roll and less likely to tear apart when placed in the pie dish.
Other hints I’ve learned:
-Flour your board well before rolling out and turn the pastry, not yourself, when rolling into the dough into a circle. (Perhaps I’m stating the obvious, but it took me a while to figure this out.) A 12-14-inch circle fits a 9-inch pie pan well.
-Drape your rolled out dough over your rolling pin to transfer to your pie plate. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan first, then gently press into the sides.
-Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pie dish to remove excess crust for a neat crust.
-Keep all ingredients extra cold. I often use frozen butter and sometimes put my cubed butter and flour mixture back into the freezer to sit for a few minutes. Most importantly, I put the pie dish with the dough into the freezer for at least 10-15 minutes before filling. I find this prevents any shrinkage.
Onions are the kitchen workhorses but in this dish they shine. I often make a batch of caramelized onions to have extra for topping burgers, steaks or pizzas.
While I only use onions today, a quiche is really the best place to include leftover greens or mushrooms that have been sautéed. The first greens, herbs, and ramps of spring will replace the onions for a completely different take.
Regardless of what you decide, this Caramelized Onion Quiche is worth mastering. It is a lovely bridge between winter and spring but will serve us well throughout the year, regardless of what the weather decides or the farmers bring to market each week. A quiche easily handles it all.
- 2 large onions (about a pound)
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1 stick), very cold and cut into small cubes or grated
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 Tablespoons ice water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 overflowing cup of grated Gruyere cheese*
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Melt the butter over medium low heat in the bottom of a large fry pan or stock pot. Add onions. Lower heat until onions are just slowly sizzling. Keep an eye out and stir every 7-10 minutes, more frequently as they start to brown. The entire process will likely take about 30 minutes until they turn medium brown. Set aside to coll.
- While the onions slowly caramelize, prepare the crust.
- Butter a 9-inch pie or tart dish.
- Place flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz for a second to combine.
- Add butter cubes and pulse until butter is cut into pea-sized bits.
- Add egg, pulse 2 times
- Add cold water and blitz just until the dough starts to come together. The dough will likely look more like a pile of crumbs than a dough. Carefully squeeze a bit of the dough in your hand. If it holds its shape, it is ready. If you squeeze and still have a handful of crumbs, add a little more water.
- Pull out about a foot-long piece of plastic wrap onto a pastry board or a nonstick silicone pastry mat. Carefully dump crumbly dough onto the plastic wrap and knead into a ball. Wrap in the plastic wrap and put into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll dough out into about a 12-inch circle.** Drape dough over the rolling pin and gently transfer over and into the buttered pie plate or tart pan. Press down in the center, then gently into the sides of the pan. Roll the dough over the top of the pan to press off and remove any excess dough. (I sometimes need to take excess dough and patch in on sides that don't have enough dough either because I didn't roll into a perfect circle or I didn't transfer evenly into the pan. That works just fine!)
- Place the pie pan with crust into the freezer while you prepare the custard.
- In a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup, whisk together all the ingredients until combined.
- Place the cooled onions into the bottom of the crust. Add the cheese. Pour over the custard until onions and cheese are evenly coated.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until quiche is browned and center is firm in the center.
- Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
**To roll out dough, press from the center and roll outward. Rotate the dough about 2 inches after every swipe of the rolling pin to create an even circle.