Quiches, like omelettes and casseroles, can be an excellent way to use up all the leftover produce around the house. It taste phenomenal with just about anything from asparagus and spinach to bacon and ham. With the right basic techniques, it's also just as easy to make a quiche as it is a casserole, despite it's reputation otherwise. As long as you keep the right proportions and methodology in your head, you can make any size quiche with any number of ingredients and it will always come out great.

"Photo by Monica Buck"

The Fillings

• Custard proportions: The base of a quiche is always the custard. This creamy, milk-and-egg foundation is what makes the quiche melt-in-your-mouth delicious. For the best texture, no matter what size quiche you're making, the custard should exist in about a 2 egg to 1 cup milk ratio.  If you use 3 eggs, use 1.5 cups of milk and cream, if you use 4 eggs, use 2 cups of milk and cream, etc.
• For the fillings: You don't want to overwhelm your quiche with ingredients, so only use about 1 - 2 cups of fully cooked ingredients total. You want your vegetables to have released basically all of their liquids prior to being put into the custard. This helps the textural integrity of the custard and crust.
• For the cheese: Add your cheese, about 1 - 2 cups, into your quiche in two parts. Put one layer at the bottom - this helps protect your crust - and put the rest of the cheese on top of the fillings.

Whisk together your custard until it's light and frothy, and pour it over the top of your fillings. The quiche should bake at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the edges are set, but the center still jiggles just a little. It will finish cooking as it cools.

Blind-Baking the Crust

To prevent a soggy crust and get the best possible quiche, you should blind bake your crust! This step should take place before you make your fillings, but since lots of folks omit the crust altogether nowadays, consider it an 'optional' step. For those who still like a quiche with that perfectly flaky, browned crust in every bite, here's how you do it.

1. Line the inside of your pie crust with parchment paper or foil and fill it with pie weights - if you don't have pie weights, things like lentils and beans work fine too - and make sure the weights fit snugly across the whole pie. This will prevent your pie crust from shrinking inward when it bakes.
2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the sides of your crust are golden brown. If the pie crust is ready, the foil (or parchment) should pull away from the crust without sticking. If it sticks, keep baking it for 2 minutes at a time until it doesn't stick any more.
3. Remove the weights and let your pie crust cool completely.

With these steps, you should be able to make any kind of quiche you like!

Here are a few Yummly quiche ideas for you to try at home!

[Asparagus, Leek, and Gruyere Quiche from Martha Stewart

](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Asparagus-Leek-and-Gruyere-Quiche-Martha-Stewart)

[Quiche Lorraine from Smitten Kitchen

](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Quiche-lorraine-305470)

[Easy Kale Quiche from Serious Eats

](https://www.yummly.com/recipe/Easy-Kale-Quiche-Serious-Eats-203354)

Photo Credits: Monica Buck via MyRecipes