Crab Quiche

Crab Quiche is a simple but delicious meal that is always popular with guests. For a light dinner, serve it with a mixed green salad; for a more substantial meal, add vegetables and warm biscuits. 

A quiche is a single-crust pie with a savory egg-based filling. Real men do eat it: This easy meal is one of Ron’s favorites! If you make the pastry in advance, the filling takes almost no time at all. To serve a crowd, I recommend making two quiches - one with, and one without crab, for dietary restrictions and preferences. 

Fill your second quiche with spinach and ricotta, or mushrooms and onions, or broccoli and cheese ... ideas abound! Crab Quiche is an excellent lunch or dinner dish because - once it’s finished baking - it needs to rest 30 min. with the oven turned off, giving you time to enjoy a crisp glass of white wine and an appetizer with your guests. By the way ... The leftovers make a great breakfast! 

Crab Quiche:

See my recipe for Bride’s Pastry or use the pie crust recipe in my post for Ham and Green Onion Quiche. For perfect pastry, see the method and photos I used for either of those crusts before using the method, below.

To Prepare the Bottom Crust for the Quiche:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Using a 10-in. quiche dish, roll out crust with an overhang of at least an inch, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim overhang evenly to about ¼ in., adding bits of pastry to reinforce edge to an even thickness. 

Fold pastry underneath itself. Unlike a pie, the edge of a quiche is not fluted high; allow edge to stand slightly above quiche dish or press into edge of dish. To prevent air bubbles from distorting and breaking pastry, prick sides and bottom of pastry with fork tines. 

Line with parchment, cutting to fit inside quiche. Freeze at least 10 min. or until needed. Just before crust enters oven, add a handful of pie weights (available in kitchen stores) or dried beans (not as heavy, but a reasonable substitute) to parchment paper lining crust. Bake 10 min., just until pastry starts to brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Gently spoon off pie weights and peel away parchment paper. Set aside.

Trim pastry overhang evenly to about
1/4-in. (1.25 mL) from edge of dish.

Fold pastry under to strengthen: Flute 

with reversed handle of small knife.  

Prick sides and edges. Imperfections in pastry
edge will not show when quiche is filled and baked.

Line with parchment trimmed to fit. Freeze. Pie 
weights on parchment keep crust flat and unbroken.

.

To Prepare the Quiche:

4 eggs

1 c. (250 mL) heavy cream or ½ c. (125 mL) evaporated milk and ½ c. (125 mL) light cream

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) black pepper

1 tsp. (5 mL) hot sauce 

1 c.  (250 mL)shredded Monterey Jack cheese

¼ c. (60 mL) grated Parmesan cheese

1 green onion, finely chopped

½ lb. (227 g) fresh crabmeat, including leg and claw meat or artificial crab meat, flaked 

In large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, seasonings, and hot sauce. Stir in shredded cheeses, green onion and crab. Blend well: Pour into partially baked pie shell. Bake 30 min. in preheated oven. When quiche finishes baking, turn oven off, leaving oven door closed and letting quiche rest in oven 30 min. longer. Garnish with a flourish of paprika. Serve at once. Serves 6-to-8.

Whisk eggs, cream, and seasonings.

Stir in 1/2 lb. (227 g) crab.

In goes 1 c. (250 mL) shredded Monterrey Jack.

And 1/4 c. (60 mL) Parmesan cheese...

And a generous handful of chopped green onion.
 

And there you have it: Fresh from the oven!