Classic Quiche with an All-Butter Crust

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the butter into the flour

   Whisk the flour and salt together in a wide bowl. Scatter the cold butter cubes over the top and press each one flat between your fingertips, tossing them back through the flour as you go. Stop when the mixture looks like coarse gravel with plenty of flat, flaky shards still visible. Those sheets of butter are what make the crust shatter instead of crumble, so resist the urge to work it into a uniform sand.

2. 2

   Bring the dough together

   Drizzle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition. The dough is ready when a handful squeezed in your palm holds together without cracking apart. Add another teaspoon or two of water if it still feels dusty. Press it into a 6-inch disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

3. 3

   Roll and fit the shell

   On a lightly floured counter, roll the disk into a 13-inch round about 1/8 inch thick, rotating a quarter turn every few passes so it doesn't stick. Drape it into a 9-inch pie plate or fluted tart pan and ease it down into the corners without stretching — stretched dough always shrinks back as it bakes. Trim to a 1-inch overhang, fold it under, and crimp. Freeze the shell solid, about 30 minutes.

4. 4

   Blind bake until the crust is set and golden

   Heat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the lower third. Line the frozen shell with a large sheet of parchment and fill it completely to the rim with pie weights or dried beans — a skimpy fill is the usual reason crusts slump. Bake 20 minutes, lift out the parchment and weights, then return it for 8 to 12 minutes, until the base looks dry and the edges are light gold. Brush the inside with beaten egg white and bake 2 minutes more to seal it. Drop the oven to 325°F.

5. 5

   Cook the bacon and shallots

   While the crust bakes, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Move it to a paper towel and pour off all but about a tablespoon of fat. Add the shallots and cook gently for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft and sweet but not browned. Let both cool — anything hot going into the custard will start scrambling the eggs.

6. 6

   Whisk the custard

   Whisk the eggs just until the yolks and whites are uniform, then whisk in the cream, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Keep it calm and avoid beating in air; a frothy custard bakes up domed and spongy. If you see foam on the surface, skim it off with a spoon.

7. 7

   Fill the shell

   Scatter the bacon, shallots, Gruyère, and chives evenly over the warm crust. Set the pie plate on a baking sheet on the oven rack, then pour in the custard — filling it in place means no sloshing on the walk to the oven. Leave about 1/4 inch of clearance at the rim, since the custard rises slightly as it sets.

8. 8

   Bake low and pull it early

   Bake at 325°F for 40 to 50 minutes. You're looking for puffed, set edges and a center 2 to 3 inches across that still jiggles as a single loose unit when you nudge the pan — not liquid ripples, but definitely not firm. An instant-read thermometer in the center should read 170 to 175°F. Carryover heat finishes the job, and pulling it here is the whole difference between silky and rubbery.

9. 9

   Rest before slicing

   Cool on a rack at least 30 minutes. The custard keeps setting as it drops in temperature, and slicing too soon gives you weepy, collapsing wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Grate the Gruyère yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch that can make the custard grainy rather than smooth.

• 2.

  Any filling works as long as it's cooked and well drained first. Raw vegetables release water into the custard and leave you with a soupy center — sauté mushrooms, spinach, or zucchini and squeeze out the moisture before they go in.

• 3.

  Keep total add-ins to about 2 1/2 cups. Overload the shell and there isn't enough custard left to bind everything into a sliceable whole.

• 4.

  If the edges of the crust start getting too dark during the custard bake, cover them loosely with a ring of foil.

• 5.

  A metal or ceramic pie plate browns the base far better than glass. If glass is what you have, blind bake on the lowest rack and give it a few extra minutes.

• 6.

  Quiche is better the second day in some ways, but reheat it low and slow at 300°F for 15 to 20 minutes. A microwave turns the custard watery.

Equipment

• 9-inch pie plate or fluted tart pan with removable base
• Rolling pin
• Pie weights or dried beans
• Parchment paper
• Large skillet
• Whisk and mixing bowls
• Baking sheet
• Instant-read thermometer
• Wire cooling rack

Storage