Butternut Squash and Spinach Quiche

Once upon a time, me and quiche were BFFs. We got together on the weekends at the local cafes in North Carolina quite a bit, and quiche had also been known to appear in my refrigerator for days, even weeks, at a time. We were quite the item.

Somewhere along the way, I sort of fell out of love. Not because quiche is too difficult to make; in fact, it can kinda be too easy. Quiche is one of those foods that you can prepare a million ways. It’s also really hard to make it taste bad. I read this article a few months ago in the LA times that gave an incredible run-down on quiche. It also made me rethink a few things that I always considered the rules of preparing what was once a favorite dish.

1. Quiche custard is a little more complicated than just mixing together eggs and milk. I didn’t know that if you scald the milk first, and then whip up the batter into a froth, you’ll have the lightest, fluffiest quiche you’ve ever tasted.

2. Quiche crust should be baked a little before hand. The LA times recommended baking it until completely brown before adding the batter, but I found that mine became too crisp when I did that. I do think that some baking is required beforehand though, it gives the crust a nice crispness which the batter would normally prevent.

3. Ingredients should be fully cooked and completely dry. I’ve totally thrown in raw vegetables before. That was a bad decision. Soggy, thawed out spinach also doesn’t turn out so well.

To test out my new knowledge, I went for some tasty autumn flavors and I am sooooo back in love with quiche. The butternut squash was sweet and blended perfectly with the buttery parmesan. You’re definitely gonna see me and quiche hanging out quite a bit more.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Quiche

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The only thing in my original recipe that I wasn’t totally satisfied with was the crust. For now, use any sort of tart, pastry or pie shell that you prefer.

IMPORTANT – this recipe is for your standard pie pan or a 9″ x 1″ tart shell., which is fairly shallow as far as quiches go. If you prefer a thicker quiche and have a deep dish pie crust or tart shell you should double the recipe.

Quiche Batter:

1 cup milk
1 cup cream (I used half & half)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg

Combine the milk and cream in a heavy saucepan and heat over medium heat until it scalds (this is when a skin begins to form on the surface.) Set aside and allow to cool slightly for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Slowly combine with the cooled milk. Using a hand blender or upright blender, blend together the custard until it’s light foamy (about 30 seconds).

Immediately pour this into a hot baked crust and bake.

Filling:

½ butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup blanched spinach (or thawed out frozen spinach)
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

Slice the squash into ¼ inch slices with the skin on. Roast in a 475 degree F oven for an 45 mins to an hour, or until the edges start to crisp and darken. Allow to cool and remove the skins.

Layer the bottom of the partially baked crust with the squash, spinach and cheese. There are no rules for how much filling to add, it’s up to your discretion on what you want the filling/custard ratio to be. Slowly pour in the custard until the crust is full. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 – 45 minutes, or until the filling is golden brown and doesn’t move at all when the pan is shaken.

Important note: If you are using a deeper tart dish, only place half of the ingredients in at first. Pour in some of the custard, then the remaining filling ingredients and the rest of the custard. Since the custard has been whipped into a froth it will keep the ingredients from all sinking to the bottom.

Once the quiche is baked, allow to cool. The quiche will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week as long as it’s well wrapped.

Tagged as: Butternut Squash, Cheese, Spinach