A dish sure to satisfy all your cravings, our Broccoli and Cheese Quiche with Feta, Chévre and Lemon is light, airy and bright with a flakey pastry crust perfect for anytime of the day.
Have you ever heard the old wives tail about pregnancy cravings and birthmarks? Translated to mean cravings, birthmarks are said to form when pregnant women ignore their food cravings, and when my mother was pregnant with me she had a strong hankering for quiche. Sadly her craving was never satiated and today, slightly under my right is my quiche awarded birthmark.
Knowing the story of my mother's craving and my life long love of quiche, it's something I think about every time I eat the dish. As a child my favourite type of quiche was store bought with a buttery crust, rich egg center and a classic 3 cheese combination. Today my craving for quiche is often satisfied with Philip's love of making everything from scratch, including this Broccoli and Cheese Quiche with Feta, Chevré and Lemon.
Inspired by a broccoli and cheese casserole, our Broccoli and Cheese Quiche with Feta, Chévre and Lemon is light, airy and bright with a flakey pastry crust perfect for anytime of the day. And like most casseroles, it's a single prep meal ideal for serving large crowds and a must-have addition to any brunch table.
How to Make Broccoli and Cheese Quiche
How Make the Pastry
A homemade pastry is one of those things that had always seemed daunting, but it's actually incredibly simple. Going the homemade route is definitely a rewarding experience when it comes to taste. We found a fool-proof pastry dough in Well Preserve's Batch Cookbook where they use a method of grating and freezing the butter. This ensures it stays intact while rolling, resulting in the flakiest crust you've ever eaten.
Start by grating ½ cup of salted butter onto a plate and place it in the freezer for 5-7 minutes. In a mixing bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with a pinch of salt. Add the frozen butter to the flour and mix it around with a fork or your hands, working it into the flour a bit. Add ice water, starting with 3 tablespoons, and mix to form a soft dough, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time as necessary.
Form the pastry dough into a 1 inch thick disk. Wrap tightly with reusable food wrap (affiliate link) and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Allow to come to room temperature before rolling.
Cook Your Veggies
Warm a skillet to medium high with butter. Once melted, add the shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and lemon zest, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, continuously stirring. Add the broccoli to the pan, season and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
Chef's Tip: Maintain a bright green colour in the broccoli by blanching the florets. Submerge the broccoli in boiling water for 60-90 seconds, then immediately plunge in ice water before sautéing.
Roll out the Dough
Preheat your oven and grease a pie dish with a knob of butter. Remove the dough from the wrap and place on a lightly flour-dusted surface. Roll the dough out into a circle at least 6 inches wider than your pie dish.
To transfer the dough to the pie dish, sprinkle the top of the dough and rolling pin with flour. Lay your rolling pin on one edge of the pastry and begin gently rolling the dough over the rolling pin. Once rolled up, move it to the pie pan and gently unroll it, easing the pastry dough into the corners of the pan.
Trim all but an inch of the pie dough from around the edge. Roll the access into itself, creating a slightly thicker edge to the crust. Place in the fridge to stay firm until filling.
Chef's Tip: If there are any tears or holes in the crust, use the excess trimmings to repair them.
How to Make the Quiche Filling
Place room temperature soft, unripened goat cheese in a large bowl. Break it up a bit with a fork, then add the cream, ¼ cup at a time. Whisk after each addition until smooth. Mix in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
How to Prepare the Quiche for Baking
Arrange the broccoli in the pie crust and pour in the custard, allowing some of the florets to be exposed. Sprinkle with the feta cheese. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, until slightly golden and the centre has set. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Bon Appetit,
Chef Sous Chef
Helpful Tools and Ingredients to Make a Quiche
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Broccoli and Cheese Quiche with Feta, Chévre & Lemon
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cold salted butter grated
- 4-6 tbsp ice-water
Filling
- 8 oz goat cheese
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp salted butter + 1 tbsp to grease pie dish
- 1 small shallot diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 crown broccoli cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 oz feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Grate the ½ cup of butter onto a plate and place in the fridge for 5-7 minutes. In a mixing bowl, mix flour and salt, and prepare a cup of ice water. Once the butter is mostly frozen, add it into the flour and mix it using your hands, breaking up the butter a little bit. Pour in 3 tablespoons of ice water and mix to incorporate. Add additional water, one tablespoon at a time, until a soft dough is formed. Form the pastry into a 1 inch thick disk, wrap and place in the fridge to set for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Retrieve the dough from the fridge and set aside.
- Warm your favourite skillet on medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and lemon zest, and continue to sauté for another minute before adding the broccoli. Season with ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper. Stir often, cooking the broccoli for 3-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, find a large area of counter space to roll out the dough. Lightly dust the area with flour. Roll the dough out at least 6 inches wider than your pie dish. Lightly grease your pie dish with butter. To transfer the dough, dust the top of the crust and your rolling pin with flour. Carefully roll the dough around the rolling pin, then loosely unroll the dough onto the pie dish. Ease the crust into the corners of the pie dish. Trim the crust so that there is a slight overhang on the dish and form it into a lip for the top of the quiche. Use any additional trimmings to repair any tears or holes in the crust. Place the crust in the fridge to firm up slightly while finishing the filling.
- To make the filling, break up the goat cheese into a mixing bowl. Add the cream, a ¼ cup at a time, mixing with a whisk after each additional until you have a smooth mixture. Crack in the eggs and mix. The filling will be a cake batter consistency. Season with a ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper.
- No. 6 | Remove the crust from the fridge. Arrange the broccoli evenly on the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter overtop, allowing a few florets to peak above the filling.
- Sprinkle with the feta cheese then bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until the top is slightly golden and the centre is set.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- To achieve a vibrant green color for the broccoli, blanch it before sautéing. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 60-90 seconds then immediately transfer it to a large bowl of ice water to shock it and stop the cooking process. Allow to fully cool and drain before sautéing.
- We used a standard 10-inch cake pan for this recipe to create a deep-dish effect. Any pie dish will work, however, small dishes may result in a little leftover batter. Ensure to leave a ¼ inch of space for the batter to rise slightly while baking.
Nutrition
Patsy says
I can honestly say this is the best quiche I have ever eaten. The crust is flakey, the filling creamy and rich, and the lemon provides a nice freshness.
Chef Sous Chef says
Wow Patsy, thank you! We couldn't agree more 😉
Marisa says
This is definitely a brunch worthy quiche and I love the addition of feta...it’s my go to cheese when making frittata!
Chef Sous Chef says
Feta in frittata is a must!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking says
We eat a lot of quiche in our house! I love the crust on this one, and the flavours are perfect for spring! Pinned!
Chef Sous Chef says
Thanks Leanne, it's our go-to recipe for all our spring brunches!
Kristen says
Ok I have to make this. I love quiche, but I’m always doing crustless because I can’t seem to find a good crust recipe - but this actually looks perfect.
Chef Sous Chef says
This crust is definitely a winner. We have yet to have it fail us 😉
Terri says
I have never heard that wives tale! Too funny... we crave strange things in pregnancy. But this quiche looks amazing... and I love all your photos too!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Love that you made a homemade crust here...makes things extra special! And there is no going wrong with broccoli and cheese! I could have this for any meal of the day and be quite happy :)!
Marilyn Stevens says
Wonderful! I did have to leave it in the oven for 10 minutes longer, but that's probably just my cranky oven. I didn't have goat cheese, so I used cream cheese and it was still delicious. I'll make sure I have goat cheese on had next time. This recipe is a real keeper. Thanks.
Philip + Mystique says
So glad to hear you loved the quiche. Ovens are always tricky, and that's a great note for us to add. We always found our old oven ran hotter than set. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, it really means a lot. Happy cooking!
Robin says
There’s no salt listed in the crust ingredients, but you say to mix the flour and salt. How much salt?!
Philip + Mystique says
Hi Robin,
Thank you for pointing that out. The salt in the crust is optional as we use salted butter, but a pinch would do. Hope you enjoy the recipe!