This is my latest favorite quiche. I’ve already written about quiche before, but now I’m stuck on this one. The recipe for the filling uses a bit of all-purpose flour (a trick I use for pumpkin pie) to stop the custard from curdling. I don’t like my quiche filling to look like scrambled eggs, and this definitely takes care of that problem. This quiche is elegant, and the custard is satiny smooth.

And it’s relatively simple to make. You can make the crust from the original recipe, or you can make your own favorite crust, or you can make my favorite crust, or in a pinch you can use a frozen store bought crust. But I encourage you to make a crust from scratch, whichever one you choose, for the most wonderful experience. I like to make my crust a couple of days ahead of time and pop the dough in the fridge, or even roll it out and freeze it (well wrapped). That way, when it’s time to make the quiche, it’s not an all day affair.

This recipe comes from Emma Laperruque and Food52. You can follow her recipe exactly as written here, but I have made a few changes that have made it easier for me, and hopefully for you as well.

Spinach Quiche

Adapted from Food52

• One 9″ frozen pie crust (store bought or made from scratch)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 6 ounces fresh spinach
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 cup grated gruyère or white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 2/3 cup half and half
• 4 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 dash ground nutmeg
• 1 egg white

1. Preheat your oven to 400° and place a rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. Place prepared frozen pie crust (if you are making your crust from scratch, you will need to have prepared it, rolled it out, and put it in a pie pan, and freeze it for 30 minutes) on cookie sheet, line pie crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then fill to the top of the crust with dried beans or pie weights.
3. Place crust and cookie sheet on bottom rack of oven, and bake for 40 minutes, rotating the crust halfway through the baking time.
4. While crust is baking, heat oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion for a few minutes until tender, then add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from pan and let cool on a plate.
5. When crust is ready, carefully remove the dried beans and parchment and save beans indefinitely for blind-baking your crusts. Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt and brush the inside of the hot crust with it. Put back in the oven and bake for one more minute. Remove crust from oven and set aside. Turn oven down to 325°.
6. Place 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Pour a small amount of the half and half (maybe 3 Tablespoons or so?) into the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and egg yolk, whisking, then slowly add the rest of the half and half and whisk until everything is well blended. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt.
7. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese on the bottom of the pie crust, then add the spinach and onion. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper evenly over the spinach, then add the rest of the cheese. Slowly pour in the egg custard.
8. Bake the quiche on the center rack in your oven at 325° for 55 to 65 minutes. Use a crust shield or aluminum foil around the edge of the quiche if the crust is browning too much. The custard should be set and not jiggly when the quiche is done. Mine takes 55 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool almost completely before serving. This quiche is yummy served with mixed greens and thinly sliced tart apples tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but you can serve it with anything you like. To reheat, place individual slices of quiche on baking sheet and heat for 15 minutes in a 350° oven. Enjoy!