Julia Child's Spinach Quiche

Crust Options

When making a quiche crust, you have two options: make it at home or buy it at the store. The store is convenient. Making it at home has a better flavor. Depending on the day, I could go either way on which crust I would use; however, if you decide to make your quiche crust at home, a couple of points are worth noting.

1. The longer you can allow your dough to rest, the more flakiness and flavor you will achieve. I made this quiche a couple of times. Each time the result was good. However, I found that when I let the dough rest a couple of hours vs. a couple of days, there was a big difference in texture and flavor. Overall, I much preferred the dough that had rested for three days before baking.
2. Making dough can take time and preparation. If you prefer homemade dough but do not always have time. I recommend making a double batch and freezing half. Dough wrapped and stored in air-tight containers can last up to three months in the freezer.
3. If you have never made dough before and are nervous about it, don't be. As Julia said, "No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing." She is correct; you will only learn by doing. Get in there and start trying. The worst thing that will happen is your crust will be terrible, and you run to the store to buy a prepared one. All cooks have had to make that emergency run more times than they care to admit. True story!

I have an entire blog post dedicated to the perfect crust if you are new to making crusts. There are a few differences between my recipe and Julia's, but the technique is the same.

Spinach Filling

This spinach quiche filling is surprisingly simple to make. There are five basic steps:

1. Whisk together 2 eggs and ⅔rds cup of cream. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a skillet, add diced shallots and saute.
3. Cook spinach to remove any excess water.
4. Combine the spinach and shallots. Then mix in the eggs, but do not cook. You do not want scrambled eggs
5. Pour into a pie crust, top with butter and Swiss cheese, and bake

So amazingly simple!

Note about the spinach:

In the book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume I, Julia provides two spinach options: fresh or frozen. She mentions that frozen spinach has a lot of stems, in fact, more stems than fresh spinach. I am sure this was true in the '50s. However, that is not the case with today's frozen spinach. (I feel like I committed an American cooking sin going against Julia. Please forgive me. )

The preparation of the two types of spinach is very different. I followed the instructions both ways, and hands down, I preferred the frozen spinach. The fresh spinach option involved blanching, placing the spinach in cold water to preserve the color, and cooking. However, the frozen involved chopping it up and cooking it a little longer so the water could evaporate. The frozen was so much easier!

Finally, by cooking Julia's spinach quiche, I am reminded how the best food is often the most uncomplicated food. It is about good technique and not a lot of complex flavors. Please take a picture and tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you make this. I would love to know how it turns out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should Spinach Be Cooked Before Adding To QuicheYes! Cook spinach to reduce the water content. I recommend using frozen spinach and cooking it first. It is so much easier to cook than fresh spinach.

What Is The Secret To Good Quiche? Good quiche is all about ingredient ratios. I cannot rave about this quiche enough; Julia Child's ratios are simple and absolute perfection!

How Do I Make A Quiche Without A Soggy Bottom? Partial blind baking the crust (sometimes called par-baking) is the best way to avoid a soggy bottom. This step is necessary for homemade and store-bought crusts.

Can I Use Milk Instead of Cream?I do not recommend swapping any of the ingredients, including heavy cream. The result will not be as good and possibly watery.