Tartine’s quiche recipe will completely change your perception of the classic dish. The combination of crème fraîche and eggs makes the smoothest, most utterly delicious custard with a lovely, slight tang.

The custard, a ratio of 1 cup crème fraîche to 1 cup whole milk to 5 eggs, makes Tartine's Swiss chard quiche so fabulous. It's smooth with a slight tang and utterly delicious. // alexandracooks.com

The weekend would begin with quiche. That was a given. My friend would pick me up at the San Francisco airport, and before beginning our journey north, we would stop for breakfast. For quiche, that is. I have been dreaming about the Tartine quiche for over a year now, since my last and only other visit to this much-adored San Francisco cafe.

The weekend arrived, and no sooner did I find myself at Tartine with two dear friends standing in a line stretching around the corner. As we waited, we contemplated our order, which quickly became apparent would be a feast. None of us was prepared to make a difficult decision this morning, so we decided to keep things simple — we would order everything: Quiche. Croque monsieur. Morning Bun. Scone. Croissant. Almond Croissant. Bread Pudding.

The quiche with ham and Swiss chard, my friends confirmed, lived up to every expectation I had created for them. The bread pudding with fresh peaches, too, and the croque monsieur with heirloom tomatoes and Gruyère similarly blew us away.

But Tartine’s quiche has completely changed my perception of this classic dish. The texture of the quiche, which includes not an ounce of cheese, is truly a beautiful thing. Before tasting Tartine’s, quiche for me was all about the fillers — onions, bacon, cheese, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, whatever. Now, it’s about the custard — the light, creamy, custard.

What Makes Tartine’s Quiche So Good?

The custard. Tartine uses a ratio of 1 cup crème fraîche and 1 cup whole milk to 5 eggs. And the mixing method is interesting: one egg is whisked with 3 tablespoons of flour until smooth. Then the remaining eggs are whisked in. Then the egg mixture is strained over the crème fraîche-milk mixture.

Why use flour in the custard? Flour acts as a binder, which helps prevent the eggs from curdling during baking and, in doing so, makes for an especially creamy texture.  Cool, right?

Truly, the texture of the Tartine quiche is sublime, unlike any other I have tasted.

The custard, a ratio of 1 cup crème fraîche to 1 cup whole milk to 5 eggs, makes Tartine's Swiss chard quiche so fabulous. It's smooth with a slight tang and utterly delicious. // alexandracooks.com

Clockwise from top left: Quiche shell, lined with parchment paper, ready to be blind-baked. Filled quiche shell ready for the oven. Baked quiche. Baked quiche up close.

The custard, a ratio of 1 cup crème fraîche to 1 cup whole milk to 5 eggs, makes Tartine's Swiss chard quiche so fabulous. It's smooth with a slight tang and utterly delicious. // alexandracooks.com

Next on my recipes to tackle in the Tartine cookbook is bread pudding made with homemade brioche bread. Before we head there, however, I just want to share a few highlights of my trip to Napa:

Wine tasting at Cakebread Cellars in Napa Valley. Grapes at Cakebread:

Grapes

Wine tasting at Hendry’s Winery in Napa. The tasting table at Hendry’s:

Tasting Table at Hendry's Vineyard

Eating macaroons at Bouchon in Yountville. Incredibly delicious.

Bouchon Macarons

Visiting Bouchon altogher. Here we sampled TKOs (Thomas Keller Oreos…amazing), chocolate bouchons, macaroons, croissants, almond croissants, ham and cheese sandwiches, epi baguettes and quiche. The spread, pictured at the very bottom, was remarkable.

Bouchon
Bouchon Spread
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Tartine’s Quiche

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Save Recipe

Description

Tartine’s quiche recipe will completely change your perception of the classic dish. The combination of crème fraîche and eggs makes the smoothest, most utterly delicious custard with a lovely, slight tang.

Quiche recipe from Tartine (Chronicle Books, 2006). Pie crust from David Lebovitz. 

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

For the quiche:

  • 5 large eggs
  • 3 T. all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup crème fraîche
  • 1 cup 2% or whole milk (2% works just fine) 
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand)
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 T. fresh thyme, finely chopped or chives
  • 1 cup uncooked coarsely chopped Swiss Chard or Tuscan kale (I use more like 2 or 3 cups)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
  2. Place 1 egg and the flour in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining 4 eggs until blended.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk the crème fraîche until smooth. Whisk in the milk. Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve held over the milk mixture. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and thyme (or other herb). Stir in the chard.
  4. Place the parbaked pie shell on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour the egg mixture into the shell. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF and bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes longer. The center of the quiche should still feel slightly firm, rather than liquidy, when touched. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes to allow the custard to set up, so that it will slice neatly. It can be served warm or at room temperature. To serve a fully cooled quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and reheat it in a 325ºF for about 15 minutes.

Notes

  • To make crème fraîche: Place 2 cups heavy cream in bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of yogurt or 2 tablespoons of buttermilk. Stir to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Stir. Mixture will be nice and thick. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Note: Try to use good heavy cream and not ultra-pasteurized if possible — I used to have no trouble making crème fraîche, but recently I have found that it takes an especially long time for the cream to thicken. If you find that after 12 hours the cream does not look thick at all, add a few more tablespoons of buttermilk or yogurt to the mixture.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: American, French