This is one of our Christmas brunch dishes. Typically we make it with bacon, but this year my Mother is with us for the holiday and she doesn’t eat bacon. So, I added extra gruyere, along with extra herbs and garlic for a bit more flavor. I like to serve this warm with fresh spinach salad on the side. It’s also perfectly delicious served cold with a dollop of chive sour cream.
I used a good store bought frozen crust because this time of year I’m not just making one dish, there are a dozen! It saves time, but if you have time, please make your own crust. It’s so much better.
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T unsalted butter
- 6 medium size onions, peeled, sliced about 1/4″ thickness
- 6 large shallots, peeled and sliced about 1/4″ thickness
- 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced (approximately 4 tablespoons)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 T fresh organic thyme, finely chopped, plus sprigs for garnishing quiche
- 1/2 T fresh organic sage, finely chopped
- 5 large organic farm eggs
- 1 1/4 C heavy cream
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1-1/4 C gruyere, shredded
- 4 T fresh organic Italian parsley, chopped (or fresh basil)
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 6-8 sprigs fresh organic thyme
- 3-5 sage leaves
Preheat oven to 375 and bake pie shell according to directions. I pressed 2 frozen pie shells into my ceramic quiche plate. Bringing the edges up over the top and pricking with a fork, all along the edges, top and center bottom of the shell and then pressing approximately 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme into dough for extra flavor. After pie shell is baked, set aside until ready to fill.
In a large sauce pan, warm olive oil and butter on medium heat. When butter is melted add onions and shallots and cook for 8-10 minutes. Onions should get a light golden color from caramelization. After about 10 minutes, add in garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring so garlic doesn’t burn. Add in thyme and sage and cook for another minute. Set aside to cool.
In a medium size mixing bowl, add eggs, cream and lemon zest and whip to incorporate. Add in gruyere, parsley, salt and pepper and stir so all ingredients are mixed in evenly. Pour egg mixture into cooked pie shell and garnish with the thyme and sage (you can garnish after baking as well for a “fresher” look to the herbs). Place quiche plate on a foil or parchment lined sheet pan and place in center of oven for 45 minutes. You can test quiche by inserting a knife. If it comes out wet, bake for another 5 minutes and check again. Knife should come out clean when quiche es completely cooked.
Let the quiche rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting. Garnish with additional chopped herbs.