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Gruyère, Asparagus and Zucchini Quiche

Our secret to making this quiche irresistible is to add a good dose of Gruyère cheese to the pastry. We love to serve it at brunch or for dinner, with a green salad on the side.

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  • Recipes

Gruyère Pie Crust

Preparation: 20 minutes | Total Time: 3 1/2 hours | Measurements for a 9″ deep dish pie crust
1 1/3 cups flour
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
1 cup Le Gruyère AOP, grated
2 tablespoons ice water (add 1 tablespoon at time)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Quiche filing
2 cups zucchini, sliced in rounds
2 cups asparagus sliced on the diagonal
1 cup grated Le Gruyère AOP
1 cup grated Appenzeller
1/4 cup shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
5 eggs
1 cup creme fraiche
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
Chives to garnish

Preparation

  1. Gruyère Pie Crust

    1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in food processor. Add grated cheese and pulse until texture resembles sand. 
       
    2. Add butter in cubes, pulse until dough forms pea-sized pieces. Don’t over incorporate the butter, as this step will ensure a flaky crust. 
       
    3. Slowly add ice water. Start with 2 tbsp, pulse into dough. Add 1/2 tbsp at a time until dough is still crumbly but will come together in a ball if formed with your hands. The exact measurement of water will depend upon the humidity of your location.
       
    4. Roll into ball. Pat into a thick disk. Wrap with saran wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours (minimum 1 hour, maximum overnight). 
       
    5. Once rested, take dough out of fridge and place on counter to bring to room temperature for 15-20 mins.
       
    6. Roll out dough, using your pie plate to measure (dough should be rolled out to 3″ wider than pie plate depending on the depth of the pie plate.
       
    7. Lightly press dough into the plate and place back into the fridge to rest for 15 minutes. 
       
    8. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). 
       
    9. Remove crust from refrigerator, line with foil or parchment and fill with beans, rice, or baking weights. This is called parbaking. 
       
    10. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Dough will still look pale, and edges will be slightly golden. Remove weights and foil or parchment, before filling with the quiche filling. 

  2. Quiche Filling

    1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan, sauté zucchini on medium high heat until just cooked. 
       
    2. Heat remaining butter in a pan, sauté shallots on medium-low heat until transparent. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, minced garlic and asparagus. Turn heat up to medium, sauté until asparagus is bright in colour and just cooked. 
       
    3. While vegetables are sauteeing, make the filling by whisking five eggs with creme fraiche, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and pepper. Fold in 2/3 of the grated cheese. 
       
    4. Layer vegetables on top of crust. Start with zucchini, asparagus mix, then more zucchini and asparagus on top so vegetables are visible and decorative when finished baking. 
       
    5. Pour the egg mixture into the pie, top with remaining cheese. 
       
    6. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 40 to 45 minutes, until the filling has puffed up and set and cheese is browned. Insert a knife or toothpick into the filling, it should come out clean. 
       
    7. Let rest for 20 minutes before cutting. 
       
    8. Garnish with chives. 

  3. Tips for this recipe 

    • You can easily use a store-bought crust to make this quiche recipe, but we prefer this cheesy pie crust made with Le Gruyère. 
    • Prepare the pie crust dough the night before. The next morning, take out the dough, let it rest, then roll out and bake the crust for a fresh and delicious brunch dish. 
    • Add the water to the dough slowly — you don’t want the dough to be too sticky. We used just under 4 tbsp of water, but it depends on the humidity of your environment. 
    • If the dough is crumbly when you’re rolling it, put dough between two pieces of wax paper to roll out. Use the wax paper to transfer the disk to the pie plate gently.