The longer way? Make your crust from scratch. In my opinion, nothing beats a homemade butter crust. But not everyone has the time for that, so don’t let making a crust stop you from making a quiche, it’s easy! This mushroom quiche recipe is slightly adapted from one we found in a 2002 issue of Martha Stewart magazine. I’ve changed it with my own version of blind baking the crust, and I’ve simplified the instructions a bit. It’s a straightforward recipe. You blind bake (pre-bake) a frozen crust, sauté chopped mushrooms and shallots, line the crust with Gruyere and the cooked mushrooms, fill in with an egg cream milk mixture and bake until golden.
Sauté the Mushrooms
Mushrooms need to be sautéed first, not only for the flavor, but because they have so much water with them that releases when they cook, that if you bake with raw mushrooms, you’ll end up with a soggy quiche.
Shiitake Mushrooms for Intense Flavor
Whenever a recipe calls for mushrooms, I like to include some shiitakes in the mix. They are more expensive than regular mushrooms, but you only need a few. Their flavor is so intense, they elevate any mushroom dish. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes. (You need to pre-freeze the raw crust or it will slip down the sides of the pan when it cooks.) Fill it at least two-thirds with baking weights—dried beans (I keep a bag of pinto beans just to use for pie weights), rice, or aluminum pie weights. Bake initially for 15 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie crust with the tines of a fork and return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes are for any air to escape.) Let cool on a rack while you make the filling. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms release all of their moisture, and get well browned, about 10 minutes. Pour the egg mixture over the mushrooms and cheese in the crust. Remove to a rack and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
