Asparagus Goat Cheese Quiche

Asparagus season is here, and this spring-like Asparagus and Goat Cheese quiche is the perfect way to celebrate. The buttery “Pâte Brisée” crust and the eggy filling are the perfect vessel for crisp asparagus and slightly tangy and earthy goat cheese. This quiche comes together in a breeze and is a great make-ahead recipe since it is just as delicious enjoyed warm or cool.

Quiche – versatile, practical, crowd-pleasing.

If you’re new to quiches, this is how you should look at it: a crisp pie crust encasing a bunch of ingredients, simply bound together by an egg and milk custard. From that point, you can see how versatile a quiche can be. You can always pick different combinations of ingredients to fill it with – ham and cheese (as in the classic Quiche Lorraine), mushrooms in the Fall, leeks in the Winter, asparagus or peas in the Spring, zucchini, tomatoes or spinach in the Summer… Add-ons are always welcome too: fresh herbs, cheeses, ham, bacon and so on. 

Quiches are also practical. You can enjoy them warm, at room temperature or chilled. They play the part for an elegant brunch as well as for a portable lunch. They also freeze very well, and can be quickly reheated in the oven.

Cooking notes:

• Although you can use a store-bought pie crust for convenience, I think making your pie crust from scratch will go a long way. This only requires about 15 minutes of extra time, and guarantees a crisp buttery crust. I also like to know all of the ingredients that are in my pie crust (no additives, no insane amounts of salt, etc.). My pie crust recipe will give you enough for a 9-inch pie crust, plus a little extra if you want to make an individual quiche on the side – or keep it in the freezer for another project (well-wrapped in plastic film).
• The amount of filling in this recipe is just right to fill a low-sided 9-inch tart pan. If you have one on-hand, I recommend you use a pie dish with a removable bottom, which will support the crust when lifting your tart.
• The asparagus are boiled for 4 minutes before being used for the quiche. 4 minutes is enough to lightly cook them but they will remain slightly firm. Do not be tempted to cook them any longer. The asparagus will continue to cook in the quiche when baking and will turn perfectly tender.

I hope you enjoy this Asparagus Goat Cheese Quiche as much as I do! Any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. 

You may also like:

• The Quiche Lorraine 
• Herby Spring Vegetable Jardiniere
• Sweet Pea Ham Quiche 
• Spinach Cheese Quiche 

Asparagus Goat Cheese Quiche

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 people Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 55 Minutes 55 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.9/5

( 7 voted )

Ingredients

Pie Crust:
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup (150g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
5 tbsp (75ml) cold water

Filling:
1 tbsp (14g) butter
1 shallot, peeled and diced
1 small bunch (200g) asparagus, stemmed and cut into 1.5-inch (3.8cm) pieces
4 large eggs
3/4 cup (180ml) milk (2% or whole)
¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream (35% m.f.)  
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
125g soft unripened goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions

To make the crust - Mix the flour, salt and butter with your fingers or pulse in a food processor, until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough roughly comes together into a ball; do not overmix. Add a few more splashes of water if you feel the dough is too crumbly/dry. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish. Transfer the dough onto a floured working surface and roll it out to a 12-inch (31cm) circle. Transfer the crust to the pie dish. Cut any excess crust that hangs over the edge, and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork.

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle.  

To make the filling – 

Step 1 - In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the diced shallot until lightly caramelized, about 6-7 minutes. Set aside.

Step 2 - Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the cut asparagus and boil for 4 minutes until barely cooked. You should be able to poke a fork in them, but they should still feel slightly firm. Drain and set aside.

Step 3 - In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, cayenne, salt, black pepper and parsley. Add the crumbled goat cheese, the shallots and mix to combine.

Step 4 – Scatter the asparagus evenly at the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the batter overtop, making sure the goat cheese crumbs are evenly distributed as well. Do not fill the batter to the rim: the filling will lightly puff up as it bakes.

Bake for 55 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is golden. Transfer onto a cooling rack and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.