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I am a total junkie for French food magazines, which is where I first saw the idea for a sweet quiche. I often ask myself the question, “Is this French enough?” when I’m writing a recipe. But French food magazines are constantly taking the givens of French food and bending them back on themselves, creating the most simple and surprising dishes that are just so exciting.
I never tried the original recipe for vanilla quiche that I saw, but my version comes out like a sweet vanilla custard baked into a flaky crust, only with more heft and substance than a dessert. Like French toast, it is sweet but substantive. It’s somewhere between eggs for breakfast and a crème brûlée tart, which makes it perfect for brunch or tea. I love this recipe; its as easy as whipping up scrambled eggs, but certainly a step outside of ordinary.
- 1 (7-ounce) refrigerated pie crust
- 4 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups half and half
- 1 vanilla bean
Procedure
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F. Unroll pie crust into 9-inch pie plate, tucking back edges of crust or crimping as desired.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until pale and frothy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in flour to combine. Whisk in half and half, and scrape in vanilla seeds, mixing to combine.
- Pour egg and half and half mixture into pie crust. Place pie plate on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until egg mixture is puffed and golden, about 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Serve warm or room temperature, in slices.
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