Quiche: A Make-Ahead French Delight | Dufour Gourmet (2024)

FAQs

Can I make a quiche ahead of time and reheat? ›

To make quiche ahead of time, bake it as instructed and let it completely cool. Store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, cover it with foil and bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes, until just heated through.

And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll out your homemade or purchased refrigerated dough into a 12-inch circle.

You can freeze quiche for up to 3 months with excellent results, and you have several options for doing it: You can assemble and freeze it before baking, you can bake and then freeze the quiche for reheating later or you can freeze the unbaked filling and crust separately.

Remove the quiche from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack on the counter. Refrigerate, or serve once cooled. (If serving tomorrow morning, take it out of the fridge an hour or so before serving so it can come up to room temperature.)

"But the quiche will taste better if you allow the final product to cool completely (think several hours or even overnight) before slicing," says Zimmerman. Then, warm up individual slices or serve them at room temperature. (If you won't be enjoying your quiche until the next day, be sure to refrigerate it.

French people often enjoy eating quiche with a side salad or a light soup. This combination makes for a satisfying and balanced meal that is popular in French cuisine.

While not the quickest option, the oven is undeniably the best way to restore the decadent flavor of quiche, without compromising its delicate texture. In fact, if you are reheating more than just a slice, we strongly suggest you set aside 20 minutes to use the oven.

Quiche crust is shortcrust pastry

The name “shortcrust” refers to the baking term “short” which means pastries that are flaky and crumble when you cut into them. They should be tender enough such that you can cut into it with little effort, and while it should be flaky, it should not disintegrate into crumbs.

Non-stick spray, butter, or shortening in the pie dish, on the other hand, will prevent sticking — but since most pie and tart crusts are pretty heavy on the butter already, you shouldn't need a lot of, if any, grease to get the job done.

You can blind bake the crust up to a day in advance or bake the entire quiche 3 days before serving.

Should you thaw frozen quiche before reheating? ›

The best texture and flavor will come from thawing out your frozen quiche. This helps preserve the custard-like texture and flaky crust.

Fully bake the quiche before freezing. If you plan to freeze the quiche whole, it is ok if it is slightly undercooked. If freezing in slices, you'll want the quiche cooked through and for the center to not have “jiggle” in it.

Place quiche on baking sheet. Bake uncovered in hot oven until quiche reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees, 20-25 minutes.

The USDA says food that has been left out of the fridge for more than two hours should be thrown away. At room temperature, bacteria grows incredibly fast and can make you sick. Reheating something that has been sitting at room temperature for longer than two hours won't be safe from bacteria.

Editor: Yes, I recommend pre-baking the crusts for quiches because I think it helps keep them from getting soggy from the filling. Here's a little more information on blind baking: How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust.

Whether you serve it as an appetizer or a main dish, quiche can either be cooked ahead of time and served warm, cold, or at room temperature.

In Europe, quiche is a decidedly an afternoon meal. Bistros and cafes and even restaurants with white linen tablecloths will serve quiche for dinner, either as a starter or a main. You'll see it on a lunch menu too, but since breakfast is something for American tourists, it isn't that common.

If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness. But prolonged storage and repeated reheating will affect the taste, texture, and sometimes the nutritional quality of foods.

Is it better to freeze quiche, cooked or uncooked? ›

The best way to freeze quiche is to bake it first. Freezing uncooked quiche and then baking it can be tricky to get it cooked perfectly, and it doesn't save a lot of time. But baked quiche freezes perfectly wrapped in individual pieces in aluminum foil and placed in a resealable plastic bag.

It is okay to rebake undercooked quiche.

Use a baking sheet, baking dish or oven-safe pot or saucepan to contain food, and add an oven-safe lid or covering to foods with high moisture content (like cremini and fontina quiche) to help prevent moisture from escaping.