The holidays call for special meals and today I'm sharing my Seasonal Quiche Recipe for Christmas Morning. It's the Christmas Quiche that I love to make featuring the seasonal greens we pick up at the farmers market or local farm stand that you're sure to love. It's a delicious recipe that's the perfect addition to the holiday season. Scroll on through for the steps and tips for making this special breakfast and let's make it together!
A Seasonal Quiche to Savor
This seasonal quiche is wonderful anytime of year but is especially a perfect Christmas morning breakfast that can be easily prepared ahead. I love a wintertime quiche that takes up the winter greens reflective of the season with an easy homemade crust (though store-bought is fine!) and a bit of savory bacon. Pair it with a lovely winter greens salad and it's got the makings of a delightful brunch idea.
What I love most about this favorite recipe is that you can easily customize the filling with whatever you have on hand. Scroll down for ideas and tips on a few of my favorite swaps and substitutions based on the produce in season.
What We'll Need for This Christmas Morning Quiche
For this specific quiche that I love making for Christmas Day, we'll rely on store-bought pie crust to save a step and make this super easy to prep on a day like Christmas Eve. A mix of whole eggs whisked with heavy cream and whole milk will help to craft a creamy custard for our quiche. Fresh herbs like thyme add herbaceous notes while a splash of hot sauce adds warmth. Seasonal greens like garleek and pak choi celebrate the tender, dark leafy greens that we're finding in season in the Napa Valley. You could also opt for fresh spinach and green onions if you can't find garleek and pak choi near you
How to Make The Perfect Quiche
We start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon ends and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon ends begin to crisp and are cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes.
While the bacon cooks, prepare the pie shell by rolling out the prepared pie crust to about ¼ inch thick and place in the quiche tin or pie dish. Crimp edges, line pie crust with parchment paper or foil, and fill the center of the pie shell with pie weights. Blind bake the crust for about 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly while preparing the filling.
Once the bacon is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon ends to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess fat. Spoon remaining fat in the skillet into a separate bowl, reserving about 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat.
To the skillet where we cooked the bacon, add the shallots and cook for about a minute or two until they become just translucent. Add the garleek and pak choi and cook until greens are just wilted, about 5 minutes.
Prepare the custard by whisking together the eggs, cream, milk, salt, black pepper, and hot sauce until smooth in a large bowl. Add in the herbs and stir to combine.
Prepare the quiche for baking by layering in the cooked greens. Add chopped bacon ends (remove any excess fat as needed). Pour the custard egg mixture over the top and place the quiche on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until edges are golden and center is set and not too wiggly. This will yield a silky, creamy custard—a quintessential characteristic of a quiche. Remove from oven and cool about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Home Cook Tips and Appropriate Substitutions
- Feel free to change up the quiche filling depending on what you have in season. Most quiche recipes do well with veggies like red bell pepper, spinach, leeks, tomatoes, and more. It's the perfect recipe for an Easter Brunch or Christmas Brunch. It's a sure way to elevate simple meals for the ones you love.
- This recipe doesn't use cheese. Now, while I think it doesn't need it, you can definitely add some shredded cheese here. A sharp cheddar cheese, swiss cheese, or gruyere work wonderfully here. I also like to use the Point Reyes Toma.
- You can use a combination of eggs and egg whites to lighten the custard a bit. If doing so, I like to use 3 to 4 eggs with ½ cup egg whites.
- If preparing this for a holiday brunch, you can bake the day before. The next morning, reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes just to warm through.
More Holiday Breakfast Ideas
Seasonal Quiche with Bacon Ends, Pak Choi, and Garleek
Equipment
- 1 pie baking dish or fluted tart pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped greens like pak choi or spinach
- ½ cup sliced leeks or garleek
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallots
- 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat
- 1 pound bacon ends
- 5 whole eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs like thyme and chives
- 1 whole 9-inch prepared pie crust
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon ends and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon ends begin to crisp and are cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- While the bacon cooks, prepare the pie crust by rolling out the prepared pie crust to about ¼ inch thick and place in the quiche tin or pie pan. Crimp edges, line pie crust with parchment paper or foil, and fill the center of the pie shell with pie weights. Blind bake the crust for about 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly while preparing the filling.
- Once the bacon is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon ends to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain excess fat. Spoon remaining fat in the skillet into a separate bowl, reserving about 3 tablespoons reserved bacon fat.
- To the skillet where we cooked the bacon, add the shallots and cook for about a minute or two until they become just translucent. Add the garleek and pak choi and cook until greens are just wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Prepare the custard by whisking together the eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce until smooth. Add in the herbs and stir to combine.
- Prepare the quiche for baking by layering in the cooked greens followed by chopped bacon ends (remove any excess fat as needed). Pour the custard over the top then bake for 30 to 40 minutes until edges are golden and center is set and not too wiggly. This will yield a silky, creamy custard—a quintessential characteristic of a quiche. Remove from oven and cool about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Leave a Reply