Quiche is the French name for a short, fancy tart with a buttery crust and a rich, creamy filling. It mainly differs from a pie in its height. Mushrooms and leeks make this recipe extraordinary, full of flavor, and a wonderful dish for brunch, potlucks, and to have frozen at all times, just in case.
My recipe has a lighter binding cream than most, which I learned at a cooking class a million years ago. It uses part yogurt instead of all cream, but it's still very creamy and rich. And you can use a round tart pan or a square pan as I do today.
Savory French tart
I'm used to making quiche, and this mushroom version is one of my favorites. Who doesn't like mushrooms and homemade pastry, right? They're a great flavor combination with leeks.
The secret to a great quiche? A homemade crust, a good ratio of add-ins and binding cream, and not overbaking it so it stays creamy. Every detail counts to make the best quiche. Take the time to read the recipe first and organize yourself.
Ham and cheese quiche, for example, is a frozen staple for us and a quick, comforting weekday dinner. I pop it in a medium oven and half an hour later have a mouthwatering savory tart ready to eat with a green salad.
A buttery shortcrust is traditional to encase the filling, but you can also make a crustless quiche, which is a fantastic recipe for gluten-free diets, a light lunch, or as part of a brunch table.
Paula's Tip
When it comes to quiche fillings, it's a wonderful way to clean your fridge, pretty much like a frittata or a risotto. Most vegetables, cheeses, and deli meats can go into a quiche.
Testing notes
Paula's baking tips that can make a difference.
Organization: Read the recipe first and ensure you have the ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
Blind bake the crust to avoid sogginess. This means the pastry shell is pre-baked, creating a dry surface, making it harder for liquids in the filling to immediately start to seep in, which results in a bland bite. It's all explained in the recipe card.
The vegetables are pre-roasted or cooked. And I recommend not skipping this step, as they might not fully cook in the oven. Whether you roast or cook them in a skillet, drain any liquid that might have collected before filling the crust. If using frozen vegetables, there's no need to cook them, but I do recommend thawing them to avoid adding extra water to the filling.
A mixture of cream and natural yogurt is the best option. And what I use for this mushroom tart.
For the most consistent results, use the amounts of ingredients given in the recipe for the binding cream. Adding more eggs, for example, can result in a more rubbery filling. Using milk instead of cream can produce a filling without enough structure and might take too long to set. Using only cream will render a heavy quiche, dense, and too rich.
Make ahead: You can make the pie crust up to a week ahead and refrigerate it or keep it frozen up to a month. The vegetables can be roasted 2-3 days before assembling the savory quiche.
The quiche crust
An all-butter quiche pastry is best, and homemade is highly recommended. In French, it's called pate brisée and is the most traditional for this dish.
My go-to quiche dough has only four ingredients: flour, salt, butter, and ice water. It's a forgiving crust in its assembly and can be rolled easily.
Make it ahead: it keeps for 3-5 days in the refrigerator or a month in the freezer. Always well wrapped.
The binding cream
Also called the custard mixture or egg mixture, it's the glue that makes it all come together, that binds the filling ingredients.
Most traditional recipes use only cream and often include grated cheese. My version uses part yogurt, making a lighter filling with a slight tang that pairs amazingly well with the add-ins and cuts through the butter and cream. And the cheese is optional, depending on the rest of the ingredients.
The leek mushroom mixture
The filling for this vegetarian quiche is simple, and, for the sake of this recipe, I wrote down the quantities, of course. But I usually eyeball it. That's what happens when you make quiche regularly.
I use leeks because they are excellent paired with mushrooms. But you can use green onions, shallots, yellow onions, or a mix of onions and garlic, with great results. And call it a mushroom quiche.
What type of mushrooms work best? I like white mushrooms (also called Paris mushrooms) and Portobellos. They have enough flavor and are easily available.
How to cook the vegetables
In the oven: This is my favorite way and how I cooked them for this recipe. Drizzle the sliced vegetables with olive oil in a baking pan until they are softened but still crunchy. This is important because they will continue cooking in the oven once the quiche is assembled.
On the stove: Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet or pan, throw in the coarsely chopped leeks, sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and cook for a minute or so, just to soften. Then add chopped mushrooms, turn the heat to high, and don't touch or stir until the mushrooms *just* begin to brown lightly, or they will be watery and not browned. Drain the liquid before adding them to the crust.
Either way, don't overcook them because they still have some time in the oven to cook further.
Assembling a quiche
Nobody likes a soggy tart. And that is crucial when making a great quiche.
- Add-ins: It's important not to use watery ingredients. Drain any liquid before filling the crust. They might've collected when you cooked the vegetables or because they're frozen.
- Bling baking the pie crust: it's pre-baking the crust with weight on top (pie weights, beans, rice) so that it holds its shape and doesn't shrink. And helps avoid a soggy crust. You can read all about blind baking pie dough.
- Binding cream: add it at the last minute and pour it slowly and as evenly as possible, covering the mushrooms and leeks.
Variations
- Herbs: use them in the pie dough (as I do for the tomato galette) or the filling. Thyme and parsley work very well.
- Different types of mushrooms: such as button mushrooms, shiitakes, portobello, cremini, or other favorite ones.
- Cheese: Instead of the gruyère cheese, add grated Parmesan, asiago, Reggiano, Swiss cheese, white cheddar or fontina to the filling.
- Gluten-free quiche: Use a homemade GF quiche crust or a store-bought one.
Serving
this mushroom quiche is the perfect thing for lunch with a salad, for a picnic, for a buffet table, and, if you make them bite-size, it's a great appetizer to eat while you mingle, holding a cocktail in your other hand. So this is one of my favorite foods for New Year's Eve casual parties with friends because it is amazing at room temperature as finger food!
Storing
it stays at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for a week, and frozen for a month. Always well covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container to avoid dryness.
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Mushroom Leek Quiche (buttery crust, creamy filling)
Ingredients
- 1 recipe for Shortcrust Pastry, or use a commercial pie crust, all-butter if possible.
For the filling:
- 14 ounces portobello or white cap mushrooms, sliced
- 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only (about 2 cups sliced)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup grated Gruyere cheese, optional
For the binding cream:
- ¾ cup natural yogurt, plain, no sugar, or Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup whipping or heavy cream, at room temperature
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the crust:
- This recipe is for a 9-inch square or round pan with a removable bottom. Make 1 recipe for Shortcrust Pastry according to the recipe in the post linked above.
- Blind bake it (pre-baking) to avoid a soggy bottom according to instructions in the link above, and reserve. Leave the oven on.
For the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Wash, dry, and thinly slice 2 large leeks. Clean and slice 14 ounces portobello or white cap mushrooms.
- Put them in a lightly oiled baking pan, sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste, and bake for about 15 minutes, until beginning to soften. You do not want to completely bake them at this point.
- Or saute mushrooms and leeks in a skillet with some olive oil. Don't touch them much until they release most of their liquid and start to brown. Don't overcook them as they will cook further in the oven. Drain to remove extra liquid before using.
For the binding cream:
- In a large bowl, mix ¾ cup whipping or heavy cream and ¾ cup natural yogurt until combined with a wire whisk or spoon. No need to use an electric mixer.
- Add 3 eggs and mix until well combined but without beating. We don't want to beat the eggs much, only combine them well.
- Season with salt and pepper and mix. I suggest you taste it and adjust seasonings. It should be somewhat salty. Remember the mushrooms and leeks are cooked without salt.
To assemble the quiche:
- I recommend filling the quiche dough near the oven, as the cream can reach the top, and there's less chance of spilling it.
- Scatter the cooked mushrooms and leeks at the bottom of the pie crust. Sprinkle ¼ cup grated Gruyere cheese on top if using.
- Slowly add the yogurt/cream mixture, covering the whole surface. Don't overflow the walls of the quiche; they should fill completely. Stop when you reach the top, or it will spill in the oven and be messy.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
- Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes and eat.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge and reheat briefly before eating. Or eat them at room temperature.
Parsley Sage says
Woo hoo! Another Dorite 🙂 I always love seeing what you guys whip up! Awesome upgrade with the leek...personal favorite of mine!
sanyaliving.com says
Your quiche looks fantastic and I'm going to check out your recipe for the caramelised onion and goat cheese quiche! The flavours sound right up my alley!
Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs says
Yes please! This quiche looks great. Perfect to serve guests coming to stay for the holidays!
Mary Hirsch says
You're really right about a quiche being like a frittata - just throw the veggie fridge drawer into it. A catering friend of mine made four different kinds of gluten-free quiches for 80 people yesterday. Just an idea. Here is the recipe: Mexican Soufflé
10-14 eggs beaten
1 stick butter melted
½ C. flour (or rice flour)
12 oz. can green chilies drained
Sauté 8 green onions
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Snipped fresh cilantro (depends on your taste)
2 c. cottage cheese (maybe ricotta?)
4 C. shredded cheddar
Dash salt
Mix all, adding butter last. Pour into 9” x 13” or 11” x 15” baking dish (can be refrigerated overnight).
Bake @ 350o uncovered until brown, about 45 minutes.
Use the eggs, butter, flour, bp, gp, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and salt as ingredients to make a basic quiche, then add your own personal favorites i.e. sautéed or cooked…spinach, bacon, mushrooms, Italian sausage, tomatoes etc.
cquek says
Hooray! It came together! *phew* that was a process… It came out even more beautiful than I imagined, and I bet it was delicious.
Nana says
Your quiche looks wonderful, so perfect. I love using my square tart pan, it is easier to cut smaller pieces
for a snack. I also like that addition of the leek and chives, great way to use up extras. Have a great weekend.
Cher Rockwell says
I agree - leeks were a perfect fit here.
Your quiche came out beautifully.
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Paula, so nice to read that so tremendously enjoy making quiche and your version looks picture perfect, no doubt a real "pro" was at "work" here. The addition of sautéed leeks is always wonderful - they add so much depth of flavor to a quiche! What a delicious post!
yummychunklet says
I'm so jealous how gorgeous your side view photos are. I couldn't get mine to look right.
Betsy says
I adore quiche too, and agree that it's a great way to use up bits of things from the refrigerator. Your additions sound perfect, and I'm definitely going to try your caramelized onion and goat cheese version. I have those ingredients on-hand. Have a great weekend!
Susan says
Wow, Paula, this is gorgeous! Looks like you were in Paris! I'm sorry I missed it, but I hope to be back on track with FFWD next week.
Have a lovely weekend!
Guru Uru says
Yourquiche is so photogenic 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Ei says
Looks beautiful!
Angie's Recipes says
A wonderful combo of flavours. The quiche looks irresistible!
Matt mmWine Horbund says
Mushroom, Leek and Shallot Quiche. I'd pair this with so many wines! I pinned this to keep it handy for my next brunch!
Rhu and Sam says
Lovely ingredients for a quiche! Mushroomr are my favourite ingredients of the season, specially the ones you forage 😉
Patty says
Lovely-like the fresh look of the chives and cherry tomatoes with your quiche;-) A small slice of mushroom shallot quiche with a green salad is one of my favorite appetizers. Have a wonderful weekend;-)
Renee Dobbs says
Beautiful quiche! I need to get a square or rectangle pan. I love the way it looks.
Lizzy Do says
Beautifully done! I contemplated digging out my square tart pan...love the little rectangles 🙂 My tart dough did not roll out like a dream...I stink at crusts...LOL.
Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite says
This one was really good huh? Happy Friday!