Tartine’s quiche recipe will completely change your perception of the classic dish. The combination of crème fraîche and eggs makes the smoothest, most utterly delicious custard with a lovely, slight tang.
The weekend would begin with quiche. That was a given. My friend would pick me up at the San Francisco airport, and before beginning our journey north, we would stop for breakfast. For quiche, that is. I have been dreaming about the Tartine quiche for over a year now, since my last and only other visit to this much-adored San Francisco cafe.
The weekend arrived, and no sooner did I find myself at Tartine with two dear friends standing in a line stretching around the corner. As we waited, we contemplated our order, which quickly became apparent would be a feast. None of us was prepared to make a difficult decision this morning, so we decided to keep things simple — we would order everything: Quiche. Croque monsieur. Morning Bun. Scone. Croissant. Almond Croissant. Bread Pudding.
The quiche with ham and Swiss chard, my friends confirmed, lived up to every expectation I had created for them. The bread pudding with fresh peaches, too, and the croque monsieur with heirloom tomatoes and Gruyère similarly blew us away.
But Tartine’s quiche has completely changed my perception of this classic dish. The texture of the quiche, which includes not an ounce of cheese, is truly a beautiful thing. Before tasting Tartine’s, quiche for me was all about the fillers — onions, bacon, cheese, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, whatever. Now, it’s about the custard — the light, creamy, custard.
What Makes Tartine’s Quiche So Good?
The custard. Tartine uses a ratio of 1 cup crème fraîche and 1 cup whole milk to 5 eggs. And the mixing method is interesting: one egg is whisked with 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth. Then the remaining eggs are whisked in. Then the egg mixture is strained over the crème fraîche-milk mixture.
Why use flour in the custard? Flour acts as a binder, which helps prevent the eggs from curdling during baking and, in doing so, makes for an especially creamy texture. Cool, right?
Truly, the texture of the Tartine quiche is sublime, unlike any other I have tasted.
Clockwise from top left : Quiche shell, lined with parchment paper, ready to be blind-baked. Filled quiche shell ready for the oven. Baked quiche. Baked quiche up close.
Next on my recipes to tackle in the Tartine cookbook is bread pudding made with homemade brioche bread . Before we head there, however, I just want to share a few highlights of my trip to Napa:
Wine tasting at Hendry’s Winery in Napa. The tasting table at Hendry’s:
Eating macaroons at Bouchon in Yountville. Incredibly delicious.
Visiting Bouchon altogher. Here we sampled TKOs (Thomas Keller Oreos…amazing), chocolate bouchons, macaroons, croissants, almond croissants, ham and cheese sandwiches, epi baguettes and quiche. The spread, pictured at the very bottom, was remarkable.
Description
Tartine’s quiche recipe will completely change your perception of the classic dish. The combination of crème fraîche and eggs makes the smoothest, most utterly delicious custard with a lovely, slight tang.
Quiche recipe from Tartine (Chronicle Books, 2006). Pie crust from David Lebovitz.
For the pie crust:
- Homemade Pie Dough (one parbaked shell)
For the quiche:
- 5 large eggs
- 3 T. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup crème fraîche
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk (2% works just fine)
- 1 tsp . kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand)
- ½ tsp . freshly ground black pepper
- 1 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped or chives
- 1 cup uncooked coarsely chopped Swiss Chard or Tuscan kale (I use more like 2 or 3 cups )
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Place 1 egg and the flour in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 4 eggs until blended.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the crème fraîche until smooth. Whisk in the milk. Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve held over the milk mixture. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and thyme (or other herb). Stir in the chard.
- Place the parbaked pie shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the egg mixture into the shell. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF and bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes longer. The center of the quiche should still feel slightly firm, rather than liquidy, when touched. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes to allow the custard to set up, so that it will slice neatly. It can be served warm or at room temperature. To serve a fully cooled quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and reheat it in a 325ºF for about 15 minutes.
Notes
To make crème fraîche: Place 2 cups heavy cream in bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt or 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Stir to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Stir. Mixture will be nice and thick. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Note: Try to use good heavy cream and not ultra-pasteurized if possible — I used to have no trouble making crème fraîche, but recently I have found that it takes an especially long time for the cream to thicken. If you find that after 12 hours the cream does not look thick at all, add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk or yogurt to the mixture.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Category: Breakfast
Method: oven
Cuisine: American, French
Tartine’s quiche recipe will completely change your perception of the classic dish. The combination of crème fraîche and eggs makes the smoothest, most utterly delicious custard with a lovely, slight tang.
The weekend would begin with quiche. That was a given. My friend would pick me up at the San Francisco airport, and before beginning our journey north, we would stop for breakfast. For quiche, that is. I have been dreaming about the Tartine quiche for over a year now, since my last and only other visit to this much-adored San Francisco cafe.
The weekend arrived, and no sooner did I find myself at Tartine with two dear friends standing in a line stretching around the corner. As we waited, we contemplated our order, which quickly became apparent would be a feast. None of us was prepared to make a difficult decision this morning, so we decided to keep things simple — we would order everything: Quiche. Croque monsieur. Morning Bun. Scone. Croissant. Almond Croissant. Bread Pudding.
The quiche with ham and Swiss chard, my friends confirmed, lived up to every expectation I had created for them. The bread pudding with fresh peaches, too, and the croque monsieur with heirloom tomatoes and Gruyère similarly blew us away.
But Tartine’s quiche has completely changed my perception of this classic dish. The texture of the quiche, which includes not an ounce of cheese, is truly a beautiful thing. Before tasting Tartine’s, quiche for me was all about the fillers — onions, bacon, cheese, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, whatever. Now, it’s about the custard — the light, creamy, custard.
What Makes Tartine’s Quiche So Good?
The custard. Tartine uses a ratio of 1 cup crème fraîche and 1 cup whole milk to 5 eggs. And the mixing method is interesting: one egg is whisked with 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth. Then the remaining eggs are whisked in. Then the egg mixture is strained over the crème fraîche-milk mixture.
Why use flour in the custard? Flour acts as a binder, which helps prevent the eggs from curdling during baking and, in doing so, makes for an especially creamy texture. Cool, right?
Truly, the texture of the Tartine quiche is sublime, unlike any other I have tasted.
Clockwise from top left : Quiche shell, lined with parchment paper, ready to be blind-baked. Filled quiche shell ready for the oven. Baked quiche. Baked quiche up close.
Next on my recipes to tackle in the Tartine cookbook is bread pudding made with homemade brioche bread . Before we head there, however, I just want to share a few highlights of my trip to Napa:
Wine tasting at Hendry’s Winery in Napa. The tasting table at Hendry’s:
Eating macaroons at Bouchon in Yountville. Incredibly delicious.
Visiting Bouchon altogher. Here we sampled TKOs (Thomas Keller Oreos…amazing), chocolate bouchons, macaroons, croissants, almond croissants, ham and cheese sandwiches, epi baguettes and quiche. The spread, pictured at the very bottom, was remarkable.
Description
Tartine’s quiche recipe will completely change your perception of the classic dish. The combination of crème fraîche and eggs makes the smoothest, most utterly delicious custard with a lovely, slight tang.
Quiche recipe from Tartine (Chronicle Books, 2006). Pie crust from David Lebovitz.
For the pie crust:
- Homemade Pie Dough (one parbaked shell)
For the quiche:
- 5 large eggs
- 3 T. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup crème fraîche
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk (2% works just fine)
- 1 tsp . kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand)
- ½ tsp . freshly ground black pepper
- 1 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped or chives
- 1 cup uncooked coarsely chopped Swiss Chard or Tuscan kale (I use more like 2 or 3 cups )
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Place 1 egg and the flour in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 4 eggs until blended.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the crème fraîche until smooth. Whisk in the milk. Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve held over the milk mixture. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and thyme (or other herb). Stir in the chard.
- Place the parbaked pie shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the egg mixture into the shell. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF and bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes longer. The center of the quiche should still feel slightly firm, rather than liquidy, when touched. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes to allow the custard to set up, so that it will slice neatly. It can be served warm or at room temperature. To serve a fully cooled quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and reheat it in a 325ºF for about 15 minutes.
Notes
To make crème fraîche: Place 2 cups heavy cream in bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt or 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Stir to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Stir. Mixture will be nice and thick. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Note: Try to use good heavy cream and not ultra-pasteurized if possible — I used to have no trouble making crème fraîche, but recently I have found that it takes an especially long time for the cream to thicken. If you find that after 12 hours the cream does not look thick at all, add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk or yogurt to the mixture.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Category: Breakfast
Method: oven
Cuisine: American, French
Description
Tartine’s quiche recipe will completely change your perception of the classic dish. The combination of crème fraîche and eggs makes the smoothest, most utterly delicious custard with a lovely, slight tang.
Quiche recipe from Tartine (Chronicle Books, 2006). Pie crust from David Lebovitz.
For the pie crust:
- Homemade Pie Dough (one parbaked shell)
For the quiche:
- 5 large eggs
- 3 T. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup crème fraîche
- 1 cup 2% or whole milk (2% works just fine)
- 1 tsp . kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand)
- ½ tsp . freshly ground black pepper
- 1 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped or chives
- 1 cup uncooked coarsely chopped Swiss Chard or Tuscan kale (I use more like 2 or 3 cups )
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Place 1 egg and the flour in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 4 eggs until blended.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the crème fraîche until smooth. Whisk in the milk. Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve held over the milk mixture. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and thyme (or other herb). Stir in the chard.
- Place the parbaked pie shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the egg mixture into the shell. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF and bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes longer. The center of the quiche should still feel slightly firm, rather than liquidy, when touched. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes to allow the custard to set up, so that it will slice neatly. It can be served warm or at room temperature. To serve a fully cooled quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and reheat it in a 325ºF for about 15 minutes.
Notes
To make crème fraîche: Place 2 cups heavy cream in bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt or 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Stir to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Stir. Mixture will be nice and thick. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Note: Try to use good heavy cream and not ultra-pasteurized if possible — I used to have no trouble making crème fraîche, but recently I have found that it takes an especially long time for the cream to thicken. If you find that after 12 hours the cream does not look thick at all, add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk or yogurt to the mixture.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Category: Breakfast
Method: oven
Cuisine: American, French
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2009/08/17/quiche-perfected-homemade-creme-fraiche-a-little-trip-to-tartine-bouchon-napa/
Early last Wednesday morning, before the premier of Top Chef Las Vegas, Padma Lakshmi made a delectable looking salad on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. She chopped up fresh spinach, mixed it with chickpeas, bell peppers and chives, and tossed it all together with olive oil and lemon juice. Served with fresh pita bread, says Padma, this “chickpea tapas” makes a wonderful whole meal.
I couldn’t agree more. Upon seeing this segment, I felt inspired to cook up some of the Ranch Gordo beans I had picked up in San Francisco earlier this month. I have been wanting to incorporate more beans — such a healthy, affordable food, filled with protein — into my diet, and this salad has proven to be a great way to do so. I made this salad two nights in a row last week with my Alubia Criollo beans and various other goodies from my CSA — arugula, cherry tomatoes, chives, shaved zucchini and chopped orange.
Beans, I am learning, are really not so much trouble to make from scratch. I soaked mine in the morning and cooked them according to the instructions on the Rancho Gordo website . I’m not a bean connoisseur, but I like RG’s description of these small white beans: Alubios have a “rich, buttery flavor and creamy, over-the-moon texture.”
I ate my salad with these Bäco flatbreads, the recipe for which I spotted in the LA Times in June 2008 and have had tacked to my fridge ever since. Bäco flatbreads, made with Greek yogurt seasoned with ginger, garlic and lime juice, are similar to the pita breads used for gyros — the pocketless pita breads. They are delicious! The recipe yields more yogurt sauce than needed, but the sauce makes a nice accompaniment to both the flatbreads and the salad. A nice little combination eaten taco style is a bäco flatbread, spread with some yogurt sauce and topped with some salad. So yummy!
Note: I omitted the lavendar and added some chives.
Here is Padma’s basic recipe. Please note, however, that Padma prefers making this with raw spinach or arugula — I used raw, chopped arugula — as opposed to cooked, which is what her recipe says to do. Also, any vegetables — tomatoes, zucchini, corn, mushrooms, etc. — can be added to this salad. A nice variety of vegetables makes for a nice variety of flavors and textures. I also used a little balsamic vinegar in addition to the fresh lemon juice.
Here is the Bäco Flatbreads recipe. I added some chives to the yogurt mixture and served some of the remaining yogurt sauce with the flatbread and the salad — this is such a yummy meal!
