Perfect Crustless Quiche with Roasted Asparagus, Lemon Thyme and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

By Heidi Allison

If you love Bistro-style, French Quiche—the kind with sky-high, luscious, silky-textured egg custard filling that melts on your tongue—then this recipe will be in your updated culinary repertoire. Paired with fresh fruit for a light brunch, or with a salad and white wine for quick dinner, this versatile, economic, gourmet dish is a nice change after the holidays. It also makes for great Keto fare if you’re cutting carbs—this quiche is sans crust!

Making a great quiche isn't hard, but it does take time—so no short-cuts allowed in this recipe. The egg filling must be at least several inches high and have a silken texture. Add-on ingredients, which can be veggies, seafood, meat, or cheese, should lend flavor and substance but never upstage or overpower the true allure of this iconic dish—the irresistible, soft, silken egg custard. Use edited amounts…

Since this is a technique-driven dish, do not skip these 3 crucial steps: straining the warm milk mixture before adding to the eggs, blending the egg and milk mixture for the recommended times in a blender or bullet, and never bake above 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Serves: 4 as a main; 6 as a side

Ingredients:


9 organic asparagus spears, washed, tough ends trimmed then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of flake salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs. fresh minced lemon thyme
2 heaping Tbs. sun-dried tomatoes, julienne-style
1 Tbs. minced chives

Quiche Filling:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
6 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 tsp. smoked flake salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place asparagus in a large bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat, place asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet, and cook till bright green and starting to soften—about 7 minutes. Remove from oven, lightly cover and set aside.

Lower heat to 325 degrees F.


Place milk and cream in a 2-quart pot on medium heat and cook till milk/cream mixture just comes to a simmer. Turn off heat and allow to cool till warm. Remove any “skin” that forms on top of milk with a fork. Strain milk mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.


Pour 2 cups of milk/cream mixture and 3 eggs into a blender or Ninja Bullet and pulse 5 times to lightly combine. Blend on high speed for 45 seconds (one cycle of “Blend” on a Ninja Bullet). Eggs should be light yellow and frothy.


In a 2-quart round Pyrex glass baking dish (3-inches high and 9.5- inches in diameter), sprinkle asparagus, lemon thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon, and minced chives on bottom, then sprinkle 3/4 cup of grated cheese over veggie/bacon mixture.


Gently pour 2 cups of egg/milk mixture over cheese. Repeat process of blending second batch of egg and milk mixture, then gently pour over eggs.


Top eggs with remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese and a light dusting of nutmeg and place in pre-heated oven, uncovered, for 90 minutes. Then check for doneness—it should have a slight jiggle in the center when gently shaken, and a skewer inserted in its center and drawn out quickly should come out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 4 hours. It’s even better eaten the next day when reheated at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Just place a large slice on a foil-lined tray in your toaster oven, or heat in a low-wattage microwave for 10 seconds.