Pear and Goat Cheese Quiche
Quiche is always a great idea for a light dinner option or a lovely lunch, or a healthy snack that makes the best leftovers. This Pear and Goat Cheese Quiche comes with gluten-free and low-carb crustless options, making it a very popular choice for various eating plans.
Everyone loves a good quiche – a tasty filling inside a golden-brown crust, best enjoyed at room temperature. This particular quiche has a delicious combination of flavors, with sweet pears perfectly complementing tangy goat cheese that is also creamy, with a hint of onion and rosemary.
Sweet pear flavor runs throughout the filling. Pear slices are placed on the bottom before adding the egg filling, and then more pear slices are added to the top for decoration
Quiche is one of my favorite things to make ahead and store in the fridge for a quick lunch, and sometimes even breakfast. For this quiche, I tried several different herbs and finally settled on rosemary, as I found it to be the perfect choice of herb that truly complements all the other flavors. Of course, you are welcome to experiment with fresh thyme or any of your favorite herbs.
Ripe pears work best, but you don’t want them too soft since they soften as the quiche bakes. Winter Bosc pears are simply perfect for baking and pair together to create a delicious flavor combination with goat cheese (or goat’s cheese for my U.K friends). Considering this perfect flavor pairing, it may just be why my Baked Pears with Goat Cheese, Honey & Pecans recipe is so popular
Egg to milk ratio for quiche
I find that a ratio of 3 large eggs to 1¼ cups (236ml) of milk (whole milk or half milk, half heavy cream for a richer filling) is perfect. This ratio may seem like there’s not enough egg, but rest assured, there is. If you’ve ever wondered why some quiches taste ‘too eggy,’ it’s because the ratio is off. Trust me on this; I tested it many times to get it just right!
Best quiche crust
A good shortcrust pastry (pie crust) is my go-to for all my savory and sweet pies. You can also use pre-made puff pastry dough.
Gluten-free quiche
For a gluten-free version, easily replace the regular pastry with my Gluten-Free Pastry. It’s just as delicious as the original (pictured below).
If you’re preparing your own pastry, you can choose to make it by hand or use a food processor. Regardless of the method, it only takes a few minutes with just four ingredients, resulting in a buttery and flaky pastry with my tried-and-true recipe.
Blind baking a quiche crust
Similar to how I handle my pies, I prefer blind baking my crusts. This involves baking the crust (pastry base) without the filling to achieve partial cooking. It’s an effective method to prevent a soggy bottom, particularly when dealing with a moist filling.
Low carb/keto quiche
If you’re aiming for a low-carb or keto version, omit the crust. To compensate for the absence of the crust and add more volume, include 2 additional eggs and ½ cup (118ml) more milk in the filling. Note: Avoid using a removable bottom pan, as the egg mix may spill out. Stick with a regular pie pan.
Shrinking quiche dough
I have a hack for this quiche pastry because it can shrink around the edges when baked. Originally, I used to trim and make sure the pastry fit perfectly in the tart pan, then blind bake it for 10 minutes. I found that the pastry would shrink to below the pan and reduce the sides making it difficult to pour in the filling. I now trim the excess pastry after blind baking to avoid this.
Quiche baking tip
Before filling the pastry, place the quiche pan on a baking sheet or baking tray. This makes it easier to move the quiche into the oven without spilling the filling.
Leftover Pear and Goat Cheese Quiche
You can refrigerate in a well sealed container for 3 to 5 days. To freeze, I like to wrap individual slices in plastic wrap, defrost in the fridge and warm in the oven.
Pear and Goat Cheese Quiche
Sweet Bosc pears, creamy goat cheese, rosemary and leek all make for a delicious flavor combination.
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
- 1 ½ cups (225 grams) all purpose flour, plus more for rolling out pastry
- ½ cup/8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold until ready to use
- Small pinch of salt
- ¼ cup (60ml) cold water
- For the filling:
- 3 large eggs (6 eggs if making crustless)
- 1 ¼ cup (236 ml) whole milk (1 1/2 cups/354ml if making crustless)
- Small pinch nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup (52 grams) chopped leek, white part only
- 1 cup (128 grams) goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 Bosc/winter pears, peeled and sliced lengthwise
Instructions
- For the pastry (skip if making crustless):
To make the pastry in a food processor: Add the flour and salt and butter. Pulse until you get the texture of fine breadcrumbs. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in enough cold water, you may not use it all, until it starts to pull away from the sides and immediately stop. It is ready when it holds together when pressed in your hand.
To make the pastry by hand: Add the flour, salt and butter to a large bowl. ½½Using your fingertips (or a pastry cutter) rub the butter and flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Drizzle in the water and mix using a fork until the it starts to come together and holds together when pressed in your hand. You may not need all of the water. - Remove the dough from the bowl onto your lightly floured surface and press it together to form a flat ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C with rack in the center of the oven.
- Generously grease with butter, a removable bottom 9-inch x 1-inch (22.8 cm x 2.8 cm) quiche/tart or your favorite pie pan (see note). If making crustless, do not use a removable bottom pan and skip to making the filling step.
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. The pastry may be hard due to the butter, so give it a few minutes to soften. Roll out onto a floured surface, 1-inch (2.5 cm) larger than the pan.
Roll the pastry over the rolling pin, lift and place into the pan pressing the bottom firmly and the sides allowing the pastry to hang over the sides, do not stretch the dough, do not trim the edges. This mean seems strange, but the dough shrinks in the oven and you will loose the sides.
Poke holes all over the bottom of the pastry using a fork. Place on a baking sheet (this helps moving it in and out of the oven, especially with a removable bottom). Bake for 10 minutes.- For the filling:
While the crust bakes. To a mixing bowl add the eggs and milk, whisk well. Add the nutmeg, rosemary, salt, pepper, leeks and goat cheese, stir to mix well. Set aside. - Remove the crust from the oven, allow to cool slightly. Trim the excess crust from over the edges to make it look pretty.
- Place some of the pear slices on the bottom of the crust (I like to keep the pretty slices for the top). Pour in the egg mix, and use a fork to evenly distribute the leek and goat cheese. Carefully lay the remainder of the pear slices on the top.
- Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown. Time will depend on your oven.
Notes
Note: If you are using a deep tart pan, you may want to double the filling amount.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 312Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 112mgSodium 345mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 2gSugar 8gProtein 8g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
2 Comments on “Pear and Goat Cheese Quiche”
As soon as I saw this recipe I just knew I had to try it as goats cheese is one of my favorite cheeses, And what a delicious quiche it is…. The sweetness of the pears against the sharpness of the goats cheese is amazing and then you get the aroma of the rosemary. It’s absolutely amazing.
Thank you so much for the feedback