Thursday, January 15, 2015

Crustless Onion Quiche with a Provencal Twist


This Provencal quiche is reminiscent of the flavors & ingredients in a French Pissaladiere, originating in the city of Nice and a very popular pizza found all over Provence and the South of France. The only thing missing is the crust. To quote Patricia Wells, “This beautifully golden crustless quiche makes a great Sunday night supper in front of the fire, served with a zesty tossed green salad and a glass of chilled white wine. I’ve also served it as a sit-down appetizer at a cocktail party.” I know it’s been extremely cold where many of you live and this quiche is a cozy winter dish that's very easy to make and comes together beautifully.

We made the Provencal version with the black olives and anchovies. The onions give the quiche a slightly sweet taste and the anchovies and olives offer a nice balance of flavors. Don’t be afraid of the anchovies. Drained and rinsed well several times takes away the anchovy's heaviness and strong flavors. Just to make sure, I changed the water several times.  I recommend using a full flavored yellow onion and personally I think a sweet onion, such as a Vidalia, would make the quiche a tad too sweet, but of course that's up to you.



I used a ceramic tart pan, but after I made the quiche, I found some pictures on Facebook here and it looks like Patricia used a spring form pan lined with aluminum foil when she made hers. I haven’t tried it that way so I can’t attest as to whether the liquid will leak out or not. A rasp is a fantastic tool for grating fresh nutmeg and powdered nutmeg doesn’t even hold a candle to the freshly grated.

I followed Patricia’s advice and served a tart arugula salad, a few grape tomato halves for a burst of color and a nice chilled glass of white wine alongside. I’ve included a recipe for my house French vinaigrette below, which has been a family favorite for many years. Don’t even think of buying salad dressings when it is so easy to make your own. Homemade vinaigrettes always taste far superior to store bought, can be made in seconds, and will keep for days in the refrigerator, so there’s absolutely no reason not to make your own.



Crustless Onion Quiche with a Provencal Twist
From Patricia Wells at Home in Provence – serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

Unsalted butter for preparing the tart pan
1 pound onions, peeled (I used all purpose yellow onions)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, carefully stemmed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
4 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Provencal version directions below (optional but delicious & recommended)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish/tart pan and set aside.

Slice the peeled onions in half lengthwise. Place, cut side down, on a cutting board and slice crosswise into very thin slices.

In a large unheated skillet, combine the onions, butter, thyme, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sweat the onion mixture over moderate heat, covered, until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes. They should not caramelize or turn brown. Taste for seasonings and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a medium-size bowl and whisk just to blend. Whisk in the milk and cream.

Transfer the onions to the prepared baking dish, smoothing them out with the back of a spoon. Pour the egg mixture over the onions. Season with additional pepper and nutmeg. Place in the center of the oven and bake until the top is deep golden brown and the custard is firm, about 30 minutes. To test for doneness, insert the top of a knife in the center of the quiche. It is done when the knife comes out clean. Do not under bake or the quiche will be mushy, not firm. Let sit for about 5 minutes to firm up. Serve the quiche warm, cut into thin wedges, with a zesty tossed green salad and a glass of chilled white wine.

Quiche before baking

Provencal version: To give the quiche a Provencal accent. just before baking, arrange eight rinsed and soaked (I changed their water several times) anchovy fillets in a pinwheel pattern on the quiche. Separate the anchovies with a pitted black olive.

My Carolina Kitchen’s House French Vinaigrette
By Sam Hoffer – serves 3 to 4
Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon (or more to taste) Dijon mustard
½ tablespoon finely chopped shallots
A pinch of sea salt such as Maldon
A couple of grinds of freshly ground black pepper, plus more for finishing
French Fleur de sel sea salt for finishing

Place all ingredients except the fleur del sel in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well blended. Vinaigrette will keep several days in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before using. Toss over fresh salad greens, then taste for seasonings and add a pinch or two of finishing salt such as French fleur de sel salt and a few more grinds of freshly ground black pepper.

For better viewing, click photos to enlarge.

This will be shared with Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm and Miz Helen’s Country Kitchen Full Plate Thursday.
From our kitchen to yours, we hope you have a great weekend.
Sam & Meakin

40 comments:

  1. A great idea! So scrumptious and perfect when accompanied by salad.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. This looks wonderful - and not only is there no dealing with pastry/piecrust but it is suitable for me to share with coeliac/celiac friends. I love olives and anchovies. I will even eat and enjoy a whole anchovy as is and unrinsed.

    i must try this recipe on my parents when I visit next week.

    Happy New Year abd a big hello from Michelle, downunder in Wellington NZ (and in Summer)

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  3. Your quiche turned out very pretty Sam! I also like your house vinaigrette, I'm ~supposed~ to be eating a bit lighter but haven't made a salad yet, maybe that will entice me to:@)

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  4. Oh my goodness! It is so perfect with the olives and the anchovies!!!

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  5. We would most certainly add the anchovies!! This looks delicious. I agree that fresh nutmeg and fresh vinaigrette are far better than what is on the grocery store shelves.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  6. It's gorgeous Sam..I'll have to try this..Jacques is a huge anchovy fan..
    I like making something that looks good..
    Cela ouvre l'appétit

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  7. Yes I would say this is a very comforting dish Sam whether we live in East or West. It is a rather balmy 2 Celcius here, but winter is not over yet.

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  8. This looks fantastic Sam and as an anchovy guy, I know I would love it.

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  9. Loooove the look of this dish and you can't go wrong with anything from Patricia Wells! I bet this would pair nicely with a Provecal rose - YUM!!! Thanks for sharing another fabulous recipe, Sam:)

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  10. I have been wanting to make this for a long while. Definitely the anchovy version at our house. And for the vinaigrette, just freeze 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in an ice cube tray and let it melt before you make your dressing. It will be so handy. Also like the idea of going crustless. One pound of onions surprised me. Can't wait to try. Thanks.

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  11. Sam, That is one very beautiful quiche! A++ for presentation. Laurie would love this but I'm not really into a lot of onion... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  12. Sam,
    I will be making this tonight! LIke a pissaladierre w/ out the crust (which I don't need!).
    Thank you!
    Stacey

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  13. Hello Sam

    I love the crustless quiche - great for gluten free and carb free eaters.

    I will certainly try this dish

    Wishing you a wonderful week

    Helen x

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  14. Beautiful presentation Sam. You can't go wrong with Patricia Wells either.

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  15. It looks wonderful - I love the idea of a crustless quiche - who needs all that pastry anyway when you have fabulous flavors like these! I love the idea of the zesty salad, glass of wine and a a roaring fire -
    Mary

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  16. These days I prefer crustless version as I am trying (hard) to cut down the intake of carbohydrates. This looks amazingly delicious, esp. with those anchovies.

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  17. Yep, wouldn't miss the crust a bit. onions, chovies, olives, cheese. I'm there, Sam. Lovely.

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  18. This looks wonderful.... although I'm afraid I would leave off the anchovies. :) Thank you for sharing this.

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  19. Such a beautiful dish, I bet this could be served anytime of the day.

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  20. We would love to have this for dinner with an arugula salad! The anchovies do scare me just a little bit :) I will try rinsing them several times like you said because I would love to try making this. I totally agree on freshly grated nutmeg, there's no comparison.

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  21. I'd eat this baby for any meal of the day! Love the pairing with arugula salad, too.

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  22. I like quiche and sure would not miss the curst...looks delicious and fairly simple to put together.
    Have a great weekend Sam :)

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  23. I love anchovies but sadly there are members of my family that will not eat them. I will make two quiches to make up for this--one with, and one without, maybe substituting roasted peppers? Looks like a wonderful meal for many occasions.

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  24. I have had this dish on my bucket list, forever. I'm really loving this crustless version. Beautifully presented, Sam,

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  25. Oh so pretty, Sam. Agree about nutmeg with almost all egg dishes...I have an ancient little grating box that belonged to my grandmother. Still works fine too. About the anchovies? Not sure. Was washing enough? My daughter would love it, but I've never been a great fan. Black olives are perfect here though.

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    Replies
    1. Barbara, I changed the water 2 or 3 times and thought it made the anchovies much milder than if I hadn't. You could change the water more too. I almost didn't notice the anchovy taste they were so mild, but I don't know if someone who wasn't an anchovy would like it. I find sometimes people who don't like anchovies don't like them no matter what you do to them. As an alternate, you could leave the anchovies off one side of the quiche and include them on the other side.
      Sam

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  26. This looks marvelous. I love anchovies so will live dangerously and rinse them only once or (gasp) not at all.

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  27. This sounds and looks delicious, Sam! And, since it's a Patricia Wells recipe, I know it has to be good, love her cookbooks and I have to look for mine after seeing this. My family would love this with all the anchovies. Thanks for the recipe and have a good week!

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  28. Even better than a pissaladiere! Same great flavors, but I love the no-crust aspect. It looks divine!

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  29. your quiche is so beautiful and it looks delicious. I love the sweet flavor of the caramelized onions in it. The perfect dish with a side salad

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  30. Small remark: it's best not to refrigerate olive oil. I keep my homemade vinaigrette on the kitchen counter in a bottle nice enough to take to the table. Have done this for over 50 years. Can't wait to try this quiche!

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  31. Sounds like heaven on a plate to me :)
    Jenna

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  32. looks tasty and pretty :-) hope your well

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  33. Man, all of your food is so decadent!! So glad I found your blog! <3 - www.domesticgeekgirl.com

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  34. I haven't had breakfast yet and this recipe made me SO hungry, Sam! It looks absolutely fantastic! I've got to try this one. Thanks for another great post!

    Bill @ www.southernboydishes.com

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  35. Hi Sam,
    We just love Quiche and your Quiche looks delicious and what a lovely presentation. Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  36. Silly question, what's the difference between a crustless quiche and a frittata? I'll go google it but this made me realize that I don't know.

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  37. Congratulations!
    Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your new Red Plate!
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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