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Smoked Salmon, Dill, and Goat Cheese Quiche

Smoked Salmon, Dill, and Goat Cheese Quiche

One of my favorite recipes on this site is the smoked salmon and goat cheese toasts; I just love the blending of flavors of the herbed goat cheese, the salmon, and lemon zest on crunchy buttered toasts. When trying to come up with a good quiche to serve for a Mother's Day brunch, I spied some smoked salmon in the fridge and here you have it - an appetizer morphed into a custard. Fresh dill is added because, well, dill just tastes good with salmon. But feel free to use another favorite herb if dill's not your thing. For the filling, I followed Michael Ruhlman's basic ratio for quiche filling, which is essentially 1/2 cup of milk or cream for every large egg. This produces a delicate, creamy custard for your quiche. If you want something sturdier, feel free to add another egg. We like it as is. In fact, when I asked if my mother or father thought it could use another egg, I got a clear "it's perfect as it is, don't mess with it." High praise from those two!

Do you have any particularly favorite quiche combinations? If so, please let us know about it in the comments.

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Smoked Salmon, Dill, and Goat Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe pie dough (see Pâte Brisée recipe)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped
  • 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle. Place it into a 10-by-1 1/2-inch round tart pan (with or without a removable bottom), pressing dough into corners. Place in freezer to chill for 30 minutes.

mushroom-quiche-a.jpg mushroom-quiche-b.jpg

2 Preheat oven to 350°. Line pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper, pressing into the corners and edges. Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or ceramic or metal pie weights. Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove aluminum foil or parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tongs of a fork (fork holes are for any air to escape) and return to oven. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until just lightly golden. Place on a wire rack to cool while making filling.

3 Heat oil in a small skillet on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, a couple minutes, remove from heat. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl, whisk in milk, cream, dill, lemon zest, and black pepper.

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4 Line the bottom of the quiche crust with cooked shallots. Put one layer down of half the smoked salmon and goat cheese. Pour half of the egg/milk/cream mixture over the salmon and goat cheese in the quiche shell. Layer down the remaining salmon and goat cheese, and pour the remaining egg/milk/cream mixture over it. Transfer to oven. Bake at 350°F until just set in the center, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

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23 Comments

I love spinach quiches the best. This sounds incredible though. I love anything with dill.

Posted by: zoe on May 6, 2009 3:29 PM

Quiche with salmon and dill sounds lovely, I'll have to try that sometime.

My default quiche in the summertime is loose Mexican chorizo, lots of sauteed poblano peppers and some sharp cheddar. Great for breakfast with strong coffee.

Posted by: Jessamyn on May 6, 2009 4:44 PM

Ina Garten has a Smoked Salmon Frittata (via Foodnetwork's website) that is very similar but a fritatta vs. quiche - also uses goat cheese, dill, etc. It's one of my favorites. I'll have to try this as well.

Posted by: Shanan on May 6, 2009 4:47 PM

I make quiche a lot--easy, pleases many--and the problem I have discovered is that cheese rises to the top making the quiche difficult to cut as it kind of crisps up; the top layer is just cheese. So I switched to goat cheese because I love it and it works just as well with my standard bacon, spinach, tomato quiche (though I recently had an awesome smoked salmon quiche at a restaurant in Winters). And you can cut through it no problem. Have you had this problem? Know of a solution? I thought about tossing the cheese with flour in hopes that it would then stay within the egg filling rather than just rising to the top.

Posted by: Katie on May 6, 2009 4:59 PM

I used to use creme fraiche instead of cream, which produces a lighter fluffier quiche. I say "used to", because I got married recently and moved from London to Houston, TX, and don't seem to be able to find creme fraiche anymore. Which is my way of saying I'm sorry for not being in touch for so long. Persis x

Posted by: Persis on May 6, 2009 8:27 PM

@Persis: Have you tried sour cream? My (French) husband uses it as a substitute when we visit the states and he's quite happy with it.

Posted by: Vivi on May 7, 2009 12:36 AM

A favorite at our house:
California Quiche

The original recipe came from the recipe collection of Casa de Los Niños, Sacramento Children’s Home, and has been a favorite over the years. Good just as it is and better with a dollop of pico de gallo. The same recipe is good made as a crustless version in a buttered quiche or baking dish, making it similar to chile relleno casserole.

1 1/2 cups shredded Jack cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 can (4. oz) diced green chilies
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup half and half
1/4 tsp cumin – a dash of chile powder and oregano
Chives couldn’t hurt either
1 10-inch, unbaked pastry shell in a quiche dish, or ready-made crust

Layer the cheeses and chilies in the unbaked pastry shell. Mix together the eggs, salt, cumin, other seasonings if used, and half & half. Pour over the cheese.

If using a ready made pie crust in aluminum pan, preheat a flat baking pan and place the quiche on the baking pan to bake. . [Also use about ¼ cup less liquid if using a ready-made crust, since it won’t hold all the filling.]

Bake at 325° for 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting

Can be frozen after baking. Thaw in the refrigerator. Can be served room temperature, or reheated briefly in microwave, or a 325 oven, covered lightly with foil, to avoid over-browning.

Posted by: Lou Grubaugh on May 7, 2009 6:50 AM

I'm a big fan of Alton Brown's quiche with Pancetta, goat cheese, onions, and chives. His recipe also comes out very smooth and not particularly firm which is they way I've grown to like it.

Posted by: Fish on May 7, 2009 7:30 AM

This looks delicious! I can't wait to try it. What kind of milk do you recommend, Elise? I always have skim milk on hand. Should I use 2% or whole instead?

Hi Lauren, it doesn't make a difference as long as you include the cream. ~Elise

Posted by: Lauren on May 7, 2009 8:40 AM

What a great combination! We're taking my mom out for dinner this year, but I will have to try that for my next brunch. My current favorite quiche combinations are bacon/thyme/blue cheese and tomato/basil/goat cheese, but smoked salmon/dill/goat cheese might end up the new favorite. Thanks!

Posted by: Diana on May 7, 2009 11:48 AM

Have you tried the French tart dough recipe that David Lebovitz posted the other day? In the comments, Paule Gaillat said it also works well for savory dishes if you use less sugar. I can imagine it would work well here, too.

I have not tried that, thanks for the reminder! Interesting. ~Elise

Posted by: Bria on May 7, 2009 2:58 PM

Your crust is beautiful, Elise! A wedge of quiche and a tangle of greens sounds like the perfect spring meal. Thanks for reminding me of one of my favorite quiches, featuring poached salmon, swiss chard, and marjoram. I like the idea of a more custardy filling. I'll have to try Ruhlman's ratio.

Posted by: Jess on May 7, 2009 3:09 PM

Smoked salmon is a requirement for any brunch served at our house. I think it's the association, for us, with the bagels and lox breakfasts that were a special treat on Sunday mornings when I was growing up. This tart, although beautifully rustic, is far more elegant than anything we had when I was a kid, and would be perfect for a summer supper with a green salad, too.

Posted by: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) on May 8, 2009 3:07 AM

Persis - Try shopping at Whole Foods or HEB (Houston, Tx) - they sell creme fraiche. Actually, some of the smaller stores (Krogers, Randalls, Fiesta) carry it but quality not as good as Whole Foods/HEB. Creme fraiche also very easy to make - look online for ingredients and directions - takes a little effort but worth it.

Posted by: Judy on May 8, 2009 5:49 AM

Is it essential to pre-bake this crust? I noticed the link to the Asparagus Leek Quiche that seemed to use a similar crust recipe but didn't require pre-baking. Any thoughts?

For a quiche to be ready the crust needs to be browned and cooked and the center custard needs to be just set. A benefit to pre-baking the crust is that you don't have to worry about it, all you have to keep your eye on is the center portion of the quiche, once it's wiggly, take it out. I've only made quiche by pre-baking the crust. ~Elise

Posted by: Natalie on May 8, 2009 7:49 AM


Una receta maravillosa!!!
Este domingo la voy a hacer, me encantan todos los ingredientes que lleva.

Posted by: Mercè on May 8, 2009 7:52 AM

That looks simply heavenly! I have some smoked salmon in the freezer and I think I may see a quiche in its future...!

I love spinach, feta and pine nuts in a quiche...

Posted by: Jeanne on May 8, 2009 8:41 AM

Hi~ This sounds really yummy... I was wondering if it can be made ahead of time, like the night before? Also, how would it be if I throw some spinach in there as well? Would that still be good? Thanks!

You can chill it over night and reheat it in the microwave. Spinach can be added too, if you use frozen spinach, be sure to thaw it completely and drain any excess moisture out of it first. ~Elise

Posted by: ZoeL on May 8, 2009 10:18 AM

Can't wait to try this...I'm in the middle of a move to a lake house, so I expect to have lots of weekend house guests, and this will be perfect for Saturday or Sunday brunch on the deck. I have come to the conclusion that there is little that does not benefit from the addition of goat cheese.
A question -- I've not done a lot of pre-baking of pie crusts and so have not used the beans or rice as weights. Once one uses them for such, can one still cook them in a normal fashion, or do they need to be set aside as the designated "pie crust weight beans"?
Am doing a brunch tomorrow with my favorite Mexican frittata, which is eggs, goat cheese or cream cheese, cream, browned chorizo, black beans, and topped with grated cheddar, cubed avocados and salsa after it comes out of the oven. I suspect one could up the milk/cream component and make a good quiche with that.

Oh, love the idea of a Mexican frittata. Regarding the pie weight beans, yes they are edible, but that doesn't mean you should attempt to eat them once they've been used as pie weights. One time my mother didn't notice the words "PIE WEIGHTS" on the bag of beans she used and couldn't understand why they were still tough as shoe leather after she cooked them twice as long as usual. We were all chewing on the beans wondering what the heck happened. Finally figured it out when mom pointed to the bag she used. Now I keep the beans in a plastic Glad container with the words written in big, unmistakable letters, and keep it in with the baking stuff. ~Elise

Posted by: kay on May 8, 2009 1:07 PM

Can't wait to try this!
To Shanon on May 6: I mix my filling ingredients before putting in the shell, then pour liquids over, and then my cheese stays put.

Posted by: ewelam on May 8, 2009 9:57 PM

In January, I made a fresh salmon and dill quiche and blogged about it: http://blog.streaminggourmet.com/?p=372 My ratio was more eggy and therefore firmer, but next time, I definitely want to try to make it creamier. I used sour cream and half & half, which were great, but 3 eggs instead of the 4 I used might just be perfect. Thanks!

Posted by: Amy Wilson on May 10, 2009 8:27 PM

I made this Sunday w/ the sole exception of replacing the milk w/ buttermilk (just trying to use it up) It was awesome! Also worked out well packing it my husband's lunch.
Thanks!

Oh, buttermilk would be a nice addition to this, the tang of the buttermilk would offset the creamy richness of the quiche. Thanks for the idea! ~Elise

Posted by: Victoria on May 13, 2009 6:30 AM

I just finished a piece of this delicious quiche - Awesome!! I had the good fortune to go to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area) just a few days ago and remembered reading this recipe - well a stop at Pike Market for the smoked salmon and a stop at Beecher's Cheese shop (I got the Cypress Grove - Humboldt Fog goat cheese) and there were all the ingrediants. I had the opportunity to put it all together today (I used the pastry recipe where you take the butter, oil, water, salt and sugar and heat that in the oven, then add the flour... Made a wonderful Ritz cracker-like crust)- Elise - this is AWESOME!! Thanks so much for this easy and special recipe :)

Posted by: Gordon Phillips on May 25, 2009 1:43 PM

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