Description[]
- For 6 – 8 servings.
Ingredients[]
- 1 pie dough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 – 3 large red onions (about one pound total), French-cut (see below)
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- pinch nutmeg
- 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1½ cups)
Frenching Onions[]
Frenching, or French cutting, onions, refers to thinly slicing onions into strips.
- Cut off the root end of the onion, so that cut the roots are cut, but the hard core stays intact.
- Make a deeper cut on the other end of the onion. Remove the papery skin.
- Standing the onion up, root-side up, cut the onion in half. Then take each half and make thin slices. Slice the onion in a way that keeps the onion segments attached to the root end
Pre-Baking the Crust[]
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-by-1½-inch round tart pan, pressing dough into corners. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pastry with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges.
- Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or aluminum pie weights. Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.
- Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tongs 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.)
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.
Caramelizing the Onions and Preparing the Quiche[]
The onions will take about an hour to cook on the stovetop before they are ready to go into the quiche. So timing-wise, if you are making the entire quiche from scratch, it makes sense to get started on the onions once you've put the crust into the freezer to chill before pre-baking.
- Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan on medium heat.
- Add the onions and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and are translucent.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for an additional 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned.
- Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 10 minutes more, until onions are completely caramelized. Remove from heat.
- Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be.
- Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust.
- Spread onions over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Pour over cheese. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack for about 10 – 15 minutes before slicing.