Quick Puff Pastry Quiche with Herb Salad

This Quick Puff Pastry Quiche Recipe with Herb Salad is an easy to do, delicious quiche recipe that is perfect for brunch.

What is a Quiche

Quiche is a French tart made of a pastry crust, and can be filled with a variety of different things. A quiche can have custard, pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. It may be served hot, warm or cold and will always be delicious.

You will usually find quiche served at parties because they are easy to assemble (or buy) and are always a huge hit. We personally love to have a little quiche as an appetizer at events. They have that perfect creamy bite that we can’t get enough of.

We wanted to make a recipe that was easy to do, and puts that puff pastry sitting in the freezer to good use. This rich and luscious quiche is filled with shallots, spinach and ham and that puff pastry gets perfectly flakey. We garnish it with a lemony herb salad, which isn’t absolutely necessary but a fresh compliment to the decadent quiche. 

We love our quiche very creamy so there is a lot of cream beaten with the eggs. This will allow the quiche to be smooth but still set after it’s baked. We use sharp white cheddar because it melts really well and has a salty and nutty bite. Sprinkling it with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese adds a beautiful golden crust to the quiche.

How to Make Ahead: 

There are two options when you want to make ahead this recipe. One way is to make the recipe from start to finish one to two days before, refrigerate it and then let it come to room temperature a couple hours before  you are ready to serve. You can even pop it in the oven for 10 minutes to warm it up. 

Another option is pre baking the dough and sautéing the shallots and spinach a day or two before. Then the day you plan to serve just add everything as directed in the recipe and bake. It will be fresh and hot out of the oven. 

Tips for Making the Best Quick Puff Pastry Quiche: 

• Pre bake the crust. This ensures that the bottom crust will not be soggy. 
• Bake your quiche in the lower part of your oven. This will also help the bottom crust stay crispy and helps the sides not to get too brown. (Keep this tip in mind whenever you are making any kind of pie dough.)
• Fill the quiche with things that aren’t too watery. So although adding veggies to quiche is traditional and delicious it’s best to cook them before or they will add too much moisture to the dish. 
• Don’t over bake. You want the edges of the quiche to be completely set but the middle to still have a slight jiggle. This makes for a very creamy quiche. 
• Season as you go. Every component of the which should be seasoned with salt and pepper. 
• You can substitute or change the fillings. Turkey or chorizo is a good substitute for the ham. Zucchini or peppers can be sautéed with yellow onions for the vegetables if you prefer them. 

Try Some of Our Other Delicious Brunch Ideas

Quick Puff Pastry Quiche with Herb Salad

Recipe by Abuelas Cuban CounterCourse: Brunch

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Quiche Ingredients

• 2 sheets (one package) of frozen puff pastry, thawed completely
  flour for dusting 

• 8 eggs

• 2 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

• 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese

• ½  cup of parmigiano Reggiano cheese

• 3 shallots, finely sliced 

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 

• 3 cups of spinach 

• 10 slices of deli ham, finely chopped

• Herb Salad

• 1 package of chives 

• ¼ cup of parsley, de stemmed 

• ¼ cup of cilantro, de stemmed

• 10 basil leaves

• 10 mint leaves

• Juice from one lemon

• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 

• salt and freshly cracked pepper 

Directions

•   Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
• Roll out both sheets of puff pastry using a small amount of flour on both sides and a rolling pin. It doesn’t have to be too thin. Roll it out just enough to blend the creases from the dough as evenly as possible. 
• Lay the sheets of pastry side by side over a 9*13 casserole dish. Poke the bottom of the pastry all over with a fork. Don’t poke the sides.
• Fold the sides of the pastry onto the casserole’s rim. 
• Bake the dough in the oven for 15 minutes until the sides puff up and the pastry becomes golden.  While the pastry is baking, make the filling.
• In a sauté pan add the shallots with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper on medium low heat. Sauté for 5 minutes until they have softened. 
• Add the spinach and turn it off in about 2 minutes or as soon as the leaves start to wilt. (The spinach will continue to cook down with the heat. You don’t want them to over cook.) Set aside. 
• In a bowl beat the eggs and cream until completely blended together.  Whisk in a teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked pepper. Set aside
• Sprinkle the ham and cheddar cheese evenly over the cooked dough. Follow it by adding the cooked shallots and spinach. 
• Pour the egg and cream mixture into your dish. Then top with the parmigiano reggiano cheese.  
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes uncovered on the lowest rack of the oven. Remove from the oven once it is golden brown and has puffed up slightly. It should slightly jiggle so it stays creamy. 
• While the quiche bakes, make the herb salad. Finely chop half of the of the herbs and leave the others whole. Toss with lemon, olive oil, salt and freshly cracked pepper. 
• Top each slice of quiche with herb salad when you are ready to serve.