Spinach and Gruyère Quiche
- Savory
- French
- Oven
A golden puff pastry tart filled with creamy spinach and nutty Gruyère, baked until the top bubbles and browns. A rich, high-protein slice for brunch or a light supper.
- Total
- 70 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 40 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Whisking · Roasting
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C. Line the 23 cm tart tin with the puff pastry, pressing it into the corners and letting the edges overhang slightly. Prick the base all over with a knife.
~5 min
Pricking the base lets steam escape so the pastry doesn't balloon up and the base bakes flat and crisp.
-
Lay baking parchment over the pastry and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then lift out the parchment and beans and bake 5 more minutes until the base looks dry and pale gold.
~15 min
Blind baking sets the pastry structure before the wet filling goes in, so the base stays crisp instead of turning soggy.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the pastry blind bakes, toss the spinach with the olive oil on a baking tray and roast for 6 to 8 minutes until wilted. Tip it into a sieve and press out the excess liquid with the back of a spoon, then chop roughly.
~8 min
Roasting and then pressing out the water concentrates the spinach flavour and removes moisture that would otherwise make the filling weep.
Squeeze the wilted spinach really dry: trapped water is what makes a quiche filling weep and turn the pastry soggy.
Roasting Spread the spinach in a single layer so it wilts evenly rather than steaming; pull it as soon as it collapses and is glossy, before it dries out.
-
Grate the gruyere. In the mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, 0.5 tsp salt, 0.25 tsp black pepper and 0.25 tsp nutmeg until smooth. Stir in the chopped spinach and two thirds of the gruyere.
~5 min
Whisking the eggs and cream until smooth before adding the solids gives a silky, evenly set custard rather than a lumpy one.
Whisking Whisk the eggs and cream briskly until fully uniform, with no streaks of yolk or cream left; stop as soon as it is smooth so you don't whip in too much air.
-
Pour the spinach mixture into the pastry case and scatter the remaining gruyere over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is set with a slight wobble in the centre and the top is browned and bubbling.
~30 min
A slight wobble means the custard is just set; baking longer would make it rubbery and curdled.
If the pastry rim browns faster than the filling sets, cover just the edges with a strip of foil and keep baking the centre.
-
Set the quiche on a cooling rack and let it stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
~10 min
Resting lets the custard finish setting and firm up, so the slices hold together cleanly.
