In time for the opening of schools, we are featuring questions about quiche.  Quiches are something you can serve to your kids this season. Not only are they nutritious (you can make a vegetable or mushroom quiche), they are something kids would surely love. A quiche lorraine or a quiche with ham and cheese would surely be a blast with kids.

Q: I tried making a quiche lorraine last week. The filling turned out grainy and lumpy, while the crust was a little soggy. What could have gone wrong? (Kimi Galvez of Quezon City)

Adoree: Baking your quiche at the bottom part of your oven will minimize the chances of your crust turning soggy. Just bake the quiche until the crust is light brown and the filling is slightly puffed and nicely browned on top. Over-baking will cause the filling to turn grainy and lumpy because you are over-cooking the eggs.

Jun Jun: That’s true, Kimi. You really have to take the baking time into consideration when it comes to quiches. You have to make sure that it is cooked just right. A nine to 10-inch quiche will take around 30 to 40 minutes to bake. One factor to look at is the browning on the top part of the quiche. 

Q: Hi, Jun Jun and Adoree. I am a housewife with two teenage kids. My family loves to eat, and I made them quiche last month. I was not so happy with the result. I wrote to clarify some observations I had. Are quiches supposed to brown on top or are they like cheesecakes, nicer if not browned? I also noticed that the quiche puffed while baking in the oven. Is that supposed to happen? Thank you. (Gie Natividad of Mandaluyong)

Adoree: Thanks for writing us. Regarding your questions, quiches are supposed to brown on top. Almost often than not, quiches are topped with grated cheese. So, it has to be slightly browned on top to get the best from the cheese. The puffing of the quiche while inside the oven is expected because of the air incorporated while you mix the eggs and the cream for the filling. Do not worry about the puffing; the quiche will collapse as you cool it down.

Jun Jun: Yes, the puff part happens due to the incorporation of air in the eggs during the mixing part. Once the temperature changes, it will disappear. Browning happens due to the high amount of fat in the filling and it is a must.  We never eat anything that doesn’t have color or more on the white side. 

Q: Greetings to both of you. My question is about quiche. Is it all right to bake the crust first before putting in the filling? My other problem is about the filling seeping out of the crust and sometimes even overflowing. How do I prevent this from happening? (Yeng Quijano of Laguna)

Adoree: Hi, Yeng. Pre-baking the crust can be done if you want to make sure that the crust will not be soggy after the filling has been poured in.  This is done especially if the filling has a lot of morsels in it, and if there is something in the filling that will excrete liquid while in the oven. It is actually your prerogative.  Next time you make quiche, make sure there are no tears or holes in the crust so that the filling does not seep out. Also, just fill the crust three-fourths full to avoid the filling from overflowing. The filing is expected to expand in the oven so do not fill it to the rim.

Jun Jun: Right! A little prebaking will make sure that a liquid filling will not seep out and also cause your crust to become very soggy and soft. But don’t bake for too long or it will become too crispy when baked with the filling. 

Q: Hi, Chefs. My name is Beth Penarosa and I follow your column regularly.  My question is about how I can prevent my quiche from having some liquid portions in the filling. When I slice the quiche, the filling just oozes out and looks messy when served. I would also like to know if it is proper to serve the quiche straight from the oven or do I let it cool first. Thank you so much and more power to you. 

Adoree: Maybe you do not have enough eggs in your recipe. The eggs are the ones responsible in binding the filling together and making the custard set.  As a guideline, you need one egg for every half cup of liquid in the recipe. It is also recommended that you sauté the morsels of meat, mushrooms, or vegetables before putting into the filling so the liquid or fat from the morsels will be removed. Quiches are usually served warm either for breakfast or snacks. You may opt to serve it straight from the oven of you may cool it a little before serving.

Jun Jun: That’s true, Beth. Also, make sure to bake your quiche until a toothpick inserted in its center comes out clean. Also, after cooking your filling, make sure that you drain off all the water. Some vegetables will release more water when they are being baked. Resting it for sometime on a strainer will remove some of that water. 

Q: I am a mother of four hungry kids. I thought of making mushroom quiche one day and they loved it. My only concern is the liquid from the mushrooms.  The liquid made the filling mushy. What do I do? (Maricar Minsine of Makati)

Adoree: Maricar, sauté the mushrooms first to let the liquid evaporate as well as to let the natural sweetness of the mushrooms come out.  Drain the mushrooms before putting them onto the prepared crust.

Jun Jun: I have the same answer as Adoree. When I buy fresh mushrooms, I usually cook them immediately, drain, and chill, so I can further remove whatever liquid is present. 

Questions? Email us at mbdining@gmail.com