Turning Out a Correct Quiche

Some time ago, while working for a microwave oven manufacturer, I was involved in a search for a way to microwave quiche. That was in the ‘70s, when quiche was fashionable and Julia Child was telling us how to cook quiche in the French manner.

The trouble we had with microwaving quiche was that the center of the custard would not set up before the outside edges were overdone. Then came variable-power microwaves. With them we found that, while lower power levels helped slow the rate of cooking, our quiches still didn’t cook evenly. So we devised a way to preheat the filling in a glass mixing bowl. The preheated mixture set up more evenly.

Making a Comeback

Well, quiche is coming back. And when my young niece served a festive quiche for a recent brunch, I knew I’d better review my information on microwaving this dish.

Many good microwave cookbooks have addressed quiche since the early ‘70s. No two recipes are alike, so I tested several. I made a French-recipe quiche, which called for a prebaked crust. The filling took 35 minutes to bake. In appearance, the filling texture resembled a cross between scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. It was not smooth like a custard baked in a water bath. This was reassuring because the texture of the microwave quiche filling isn’t smooth, either.

For the microwave, I found that partially cooking the custard in a mixing bowl seems to work best in most ovens. Today’s ovens still vary greatly in evenness of cooking, and the precooking technique tends to compensate for this. Since MEDIUM HIGH power in a standard-sized oven works well for quiche, the recipe that follows probably would work well in lower-wattage ovens (400 to 500 watts). In lower-wattage ovens HIGH power corresponds to MEDIUM HIGH in the higher-wattage (600- to 700-watt) ovens.

Use Shallow Pan

I tested my quiches in 9-inch glass pie plates, but you can also use a ceramic or microwave plastic quiche dish. A wider, shallower quiche dish might microwave more quickly because the thinner filling would have greater exposure to microwaves. With glass pie plates, I tried both microwave and conventionally baked crusts. The conventionally baked crust was somewhat crisper, but it shrank more than the microwaved crust did.

Test for doneness by piercing with a knife, but don’t expect the center of the microwaved quiche to be completely solid. Quiche won’t really set until it has been allowed to stand for at least 5 minutes. It will stay warm up to 20 minutes after you cook it, and the longer it stands the more it sets. Quiche can be reheated, served tepid or cold.

One more point. Microwave the bacon until it’s very well done so it will stay crisp in the quiche filling. This takes close to a minute per slice at HIGH power. If bacon slices are wide and won’t fit in a single layer on a microwave trivet or bacon rack, stack them in two layers with a paper towel between.

QUICHE WITH BACON AND SWISS CHEESE

1 (9-inch) single crust pie shell

1/2 pound (9 to 11 strips) bacon

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cups half and half

4 eggs

1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese

Paprika

Fit pie shell into 9-inch glass pie plate. Pierce pie shell well and microwave at HIGH (100% power) 5 to 7 minutes, rotating 1/2 turn after 2 1/2 minutes, until opaque and flaky and brown spots begin to form. Cool.

Arrange bacon in single layer on microwave trivet or bacon rack or stack in 2 layers between paper towels. Microwave on HIGH about 9 minutes or until crisp, rearranging slices about half way through cooking to place less cooked bacon on outside. Cut into bite-size pieces and sprinkle over bottom of crust.

Combine flour, salt, nutmeg, cayenne and onion in 1 1/2-quart microwave measuring bowl with handle or microwave casserole. Whisk in half and half to blend well. Microwave at HIGH 4 to 6 minutes, whisking every minute, until very hot, smooth and slightly thickened.

Meanwhile whisk eggs to blend in small bowl. Add about 1/4 hot half and half mixture to eggs and whisk well, then add mixture back to hot half and half. Microwave at MEDIUM HIGH (70% power) 3 to 5 minutes, whisking every minute, until thick. Mixture should mound slightly when whisk is lifted from hot filling.

Pour into pie shell. Distribute cheese evenly over top, then sprinkle with paprika. If desired, with fingers, rub extra paprika around exposed edges of crust to add color.) Microwave at MEDIUM HIGH 6 to 9 minutes. Center should “jiggle” slightly but should not be runny. Let quiche stand about 15 minutes before serving. Makes about 6 servings.

Note: Evaporated milk may be used as substitute for part of regular milk. Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese can be substituted for Swiss, if desired. For more colorful quiche, omit yellow onion and sprinkle top with 1/4 cup chopped green onions along with cheese.