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Spiral Vegetable Quiche

"Ratatouille Quiche"

By Lynn WheelerPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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This quiche or tart is a show stopper. It does take a little time to make but is well worth it. For this recipe, you will need a 9 to 10-inch deep-dish pie crust. You can either make it yourself or use a store-bought frozen crust.

If you intend to make the crust yourself, you will need to make the dough at least 30 minutes before you plan to use it. It can be made up to 2 days early but will require extra time to warm up before rolling out.

Ingredients for Filling

1 medium eggplant

1 small zucchini

1 small yellow squash

1 large orange or red tomato

1 large carrot

1 large red onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

4 large eggs

1/4 cup milk or heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Crust

3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (450g)

3 sticks unsalted butter (340g), very cold or frozen

1 tbsp kosher salt (18g)

1/3 cup water mixed with 2 tbsp vodka or white vinegar and a couple of ice cubes

2 beaten egg yolks

Instructions

For the crust

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar if using and place the bowl in the freezer.

Cut the butter into small cubes and combine with the chilled flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. You can also do this in a food processor pulsing the blade or by hand, rubbing the butter between your fingers.

Add the ice water mixture a tablespoon at a time and mix with a fork or by hand until a shaggy dough comes together.

Press the dough in the palm of your hand; if it holds together, you have incorporated enough liquid.

Bring the dough together by gently kneading it in the bowl or on the counter just until it forms one mass.

Cut the dough into two equal pieces. Shape each piece into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. For this recipe, you will only need one crust; the second piece can be frozen and used later.

Prep the Vegetables

Cut the eggplant in half.

Using a mandolin or very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, squash, and carrot into strips about 1/8 inch thick.

Salt the eggplant, zucchini, and squash slices on both sides and place between layers of paper towel on a rack with a baking sheet on top and bottom. Weigh the top with something like a cast-iron skillet to press out some of the water.

Cut the tomato in half from the stem to the bottom and then slice each half about 1/4 inch thick.

Slice the onions and sauté them slowly, stirring often until tender and caramelized over medium heat in a minimal amount of olive or vegetable oil with salt and pepper.

Remove the onions from the pan and allow them to cool.

Bake the Crust

Preheat the oven to 425.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to warm up for a few minutes.

Flour your countertop as well as the top of the dough and your rolling pin. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness, large enough to fill your pie pan.

Move the dough to the pie pan and gently work it into the bottom and corners. Fold any excess up and crimp it or trim it around the rim of the pan.

Place it back in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to chill.

Place a piece of parchment paper in the chilled crust and fill with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dry beans to weigh down.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425.

Remove the weights and brush the crust all over with beaten egg yolks. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes until golden brown.

Remove and allow to cool slightly before filling and baking the quiche.

Fill the Quiche

Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Spread the cooled onions in an even layer in the bottom of your pre-baked pie crust.

Whisk together the eggs, milk or cream, garlic, and Parmesan cheese with salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture into the crust over the onions.

Remove the vegetables from the paper towels.

Arrange the sliced vegetables in concentric circles inside the crust. Alternate each vegetable as you like.

After adding each ring of vegetables, press everything out to the sides of the crust. Pack them in as tightly as you can.

Cover the edges of the crust with tin foil to keep it from burning. Bake the quiche at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until the egg has set. If your oven has a fan setting, turn it on to speed up the baking.

Remove the quiche from the oven and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

recipe
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About the Creator

Lynn Wheeler

Self taught chef with a over 25 years experience in the restaurant business.

Grew up in rural Ohio & moved to NYC in 1998.

Executive Chef Third & Vine in Jersey City 2014-2017.

Moved to Florida in 2017 and opened Duck Truck Gourmet in 2019.

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