Sausage & Stilton Quiche
Submitted by pretzie
Sausage and Stilton quiche in a homemade butter pastry with crumbled sausage, Swiss cheese, and blue cheese in a cream-egg custard. A rich, British-style savory tart from scratch.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
80 minThis quiche goes all in on flavor with a combination of crumbled sausage, tangy Stilton blue cheese, and Swiss cheese layered in a from-scratch butter pastry shell. The custard base is seriously rich: heavy cream, milk, eggs, and a splash of white wine blended smooth with cornstarch for a silky set.
The pastry is worth the effort. A blend of all-purpose and cake flour creates a tender, flaky crust, and the French technique of pushing the dough out with the heel of your hand (called fraisage) develops just enough structure without overworking the gluten. Overnight refrigeration lets the dough relax completely so it rolls thin without springing back.
Blind baking the crust with dried beans before filling is a must. Without it, the bottom stays raw and soggy under all that heavy custard. Twelve minutes with beans, then five minutes empty to dry out the base.
Sautéed onions line the bottom, then the cheeses and sausage go in, and the custard pours over everything. A two-temperature bake (starting at moderate, dropping to low) sets the custard gently without curdling.
Chef Tips
- Don’t knead the pastry dough. Handle it as little as possible for the flakiest result
- Blind bake with dried beans to weight the crust down and prevent puffing
- Whisk the custard gently. You want it smooth but not frothy. Air bubbles cause the quiche to puff and crack
- The bake time varies widely. Check for a gentle jiggle in the center; fully still means it’s overdone
Variations
- Use Gorgonzola or Roquefort if Stilton isn’t available
- Swap sausage for chopped bacon or pancetta
- Add a layer of sautéed mushrooms or wilted spinach between the onions and cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Sift together flour, salt and sugar.
Put on marble or into mixing bowl.
Make a hole in center. Add butter and cut into flour with pastry blender, mixer or your fingers. Blend in the egg and sufficient water to make a firm dough. Once dough is made, do not knead it, but with the heel of your hand, push the dough out, little bits at a time, away from you. Do this twice, shape into a ball, wrap in foil, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. The dough loses it elasticity upon standing. When ready to use, roll on a lightly floured surface (preferably marble) to less than ⅛ inch thick. Lightly coat quiche pan with butter, then wipe surplus butter from pan with paper towel. Fit dough into pan. Trim crust ¼ inch larger than edge of pan and crimp edge of dough. Prick on bottom in about 8 places with the point of a knife. Line dough with a circle of foil or waxed paper big enough to come up sides of dough. Cut the edge of the circle to make it fit. Fill with navy beans to hold the dough in place as it bakes. Bake in preheated 450 degrees oven on lowest shelf for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, lift out paper and beans. Return to oven for 5 minutes to dry. Pour in custard filling. Filling: Sauté onions in butter until soft. Drain off butter. Put cornstarch, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add enough cream to make a paste. Add remainder of cream, milk and eggs. Mix together with a whisk, but do not beat. Line bottom of prebaked quiche shell with onion. Sprinkle Swiss cheese, sausage and Stilton cheese on top of onion. Pour custard mixture on top of that. Bake in preheated 350℉ (180℃) oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake until set like custard (this could take anywhere from ½ hour to 1½ hours).
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