Gruyere Quiche with Caramelized Onion and Red Pepper

In cooking, as in life, inspiration to try new things can come from almost anywhere. It can be a conversation with a stranger, a show on TV, an article you read, or something even simpler:

Like a new tart pan.

The pan I’m referencing is not actually mine, but my brother’s. As soon as he put his new tart pan on the counter the other day, and every time since when I’ve walked into the kitchen and seen it, I’ve thought:

Quiche! That pan needs one! ASAP!

So, although making homemade pie crust is not high on my life’s to-do list, I saw no way around it. A store-bought crust could be used with great ease and success, but I knew I wanted to go all in. I knew what I had to do.

Turns out the process to make pie crust couldn’t have been quicker, though I still won’t turn down an option to make a crustless quiche!

The night before, I mixed the all-purpose flour and salt, cut in the unsalted butter, added water, and formed the dough into a ball, wrapped it in plastic, and put it in the fridge.

Only took 15 minutes, tops.

The next morning, I rolled out the dough and pressed it into the pan, cut the edges off the sides, and par-baked for a few minutes before adding everything else.

Choosing the lineup of ingredients was even easier. I looked at what I already had in the kitchen – a red pepper, a red onion, Gruyere cheese, a bag of spinach – and created a recipe that used all of these ingredients.

Inspiration by necessity!

Just caramelize the veggies, mix together the eggs, milk, and cheese, bake for 40-ish minutes, and bam! A golden, flaky, savory tart with vibrant colors of green, yellow, and red. And a brand new way to use up your eggs.

When you pull this out of the oven, it will be not only delicious, but utterly beautiful – with the kind of beauty that makes you want to take a picture regardless of whether or not you have a food blog, or if you’re having someone over for a weekend brunch feast. You’ll be reaching for your cell phone as soon as you pull this out of the oven, even if it’s late at night in the middle of the week.

What can I say? Inspiration may strike at any moment.

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep the Pie Dough

Using a homemade or premade product, roll out the pie dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Flatten until it will fit the base of a 9-inch circular tart pan, or a 14-by-4.5-inch rectangular tart pan, with some excess on all sides of the pan.

Press the dough into the pan, and trim any excess around the edges. I like to use a rolling pin to roll the length of the pan against the rim to cleanly remove the excess dough.

Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set and chill.

Step 2 – Blind Bake the Crust

Measure a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper a little larger than the size of the pan, with enough excess on the sides to easily remove it. Gently press the foil or paper onto the surface of the crust, and fill with pie weights or beans.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for another 5 minutes, until the sides and bottom are a very light golden brown color.

Blind baking the dough is a necessity for this recipe! The bottom will be soft and soggy if you skip this step.

Step 3 – Prep the Vegetables

With a sharp knife and sturdy cutting board, thinly slice the red onion and red bell pepper. Wash and clean the greens, if necessary. If you are using kale, remove the stems.

You can choose to use any color of pepper, or a variety of your favorite types of leafy greens.

I love the pop of color from the red pepper, and the ease of ripping open a bag of pre-washed spinach!

Step 4 – Cook the Vegetables

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red pepper slices and onions.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a deep golden brown and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (freshly cracked is best!), and transfer to a large bowl.

Return the same skillet back to the heat, and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil. Add the greens and cook, stirring often, until completely wilted and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Have some leftover creamed collard greens, or collard greens made in the pressure cooker? Skip the spinach, and mix these with the peppers and onions instead.

Transfer to the same bowl with the onions and peppers, and mix. Set aside to cool slightly.

Step 5 – Prep the Egg Mixture

Shred the Gruyere cheese – you’ll need about 4 ounces of Gruyere to get roughly 1 cup of shredded cheese. You can use your box grater for this, or the shredding disc on your food processor.

Use the largest blade side on your box grater to get gorgeous shreds of cheese!

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and fold it in.

Step 6 – Assemble

Evenly arrange the cooked vegetable mixture on the bottom of the prepared crust. Very carefully pour the egg mixture on top. It will be filled close to the top, so be careful that it doesn’t spill over!

Sprinkle the top of the egg mixture with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and a few dashes of salt and pepper.

Step 7 – Bake and Serve

Carefully transfer the quiche to the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the egg mixture is puffed and golden brown. The filling should be firm, and it won’t jiggle if you gently shake the pan.

Immediately remove from the oven, and let cool just until warm. Cut into large slices and serve.

Breakfast Can Be Fancy, Too

Set aside that bowl of oatmeal, or that granola bar. If you find yourself at home with some time to spare, make breakfast that has some flair!

A homemade quiche with caramelized red onions, red peppers, and creamy Gruyere cheese is a savory treat that you deserve to enjoy in the morning.

Brunch can be whenever you want it to be! Weekday, weekend – serve and share this delightful quiche whenever you fancy!

Do you love a good quiche for breakfast or brunch? If so, some of these other variations of savory tarts are sure to please:

• Savory Spinach Pie
• Cheesy Quiche with Leeks, Artichokes, and Roasted Red Peppers
• Buckwheat Harvest Tart