LISTEN TO THE PODCASTYes it's true! You don't need cheese to make a great quiche. In fact, Nick Malgieri, who wrote the cookbook Pastry, told Tonia's Kitchen that he might just have to show up in your kitchen to stop you...if you dare use cheese! Just kidding, but Nick does say his filling is made up of nothing more than heavy cream, or crème fresh, eggs beaten and salt, pepper and nutmeg. The crust, he says, is key. He uses flour, salt, baking powder, lots of butter and eggs blended in a food processor. Nick told Tonia you shouldn't pre-bake the crust, and you won't have to if you use the bottom rack of your oven. Chances are, you'll never miss the cheese!
- crème fraîche
- nutmeg
- eggs
- all-purpose flour
- butter
- slab bacon
Stir or pulse to mix.
Add butter to dry ingredients and toss or pulse once to coat pieces of butter.
Rub butter into dry ingredients by hand or with pastry blender, or, if using food processor, pulse at 1-second intervals until mixture resembles coarsely ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible
Beat egg and water together in small bowl and pour over flour mixture.
Stir with fork or pulse 10 times or so, until dough begins to form ball.
Scatter teaspoon of flour over work surface and scrape dough out onto it. Press and knead dough quickly 3 or 4 times, until dough is smooth and uniform.
