Frittata or Quiche

Frittata

The perfect frittata is creamy, custardy, and full of veggies. It is not dry, sponge-like, or flat. You can call it a crustless quiche if you wish. Be it Italian, Spanish, Persian, or French, it is versatile and can be an hors d’oeuvre, brunch, lunch, or dinner. 

The variations and textures of frittatas have to do with the dairy-to-egg ratio. Once you master this recipe, you can easily combine a frittata meal with a salad, or perfect appetizers,  cutting the frittata into small squares. Most frittata recipes call for no cream, but cheese, while most quiches have a lot of cream; you can play with the dairy–egg ratio you like. Milk, crème fraîche, yogurt, and half-and-half can all be used. The French take the lead on the cream: their frittata is the creamiest of all, with a ratio of 3 eggs to ½ cup of cream. (Below this is the recipe with cream)

I learned to make quiche from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Her recipe is this: 

Drop two eggs into a glass measuring cup, then fill it to the 1-cup mark with cream or half and half. It creates the perfect custard base every time.

Frittata is the perfect dish for leftover vegetables. Great vegetables to use are eggplant, sweet potato, leeks, zucchini, spinach, cauliflower, and peppers. All should be cooked first and lightly dried with a towel, as wet veggies will make the frittata sponge-like. Use your favorite cheese; ricotta, shredded Parmesan, feta, and goat cheese are all perfect. As for the top, cherry tomatoes cut in half with the sliced side up and a sprinkle of fresh herbs, added halfway through the cooking, make for an outstanding presentation. (Note: add these when the frittata has begun to set, so they don’t sink.) You can also sprinkle with your favorite cheese, cooked mushrooms, or any leftover cooked vegetables. 

The recipe below uses a 9-inch pie plate, but an 8–10-inch cast-iron skillet works well, too. The stovetop-to-oven skillet method calls for a lower oven temperature; 325°F works well. Put the veggies-and-egg mixture in a skillet, heat it on medium until it is hot to the touch, then place it in a preheated oven (not the broiler) on the middle rack. The key is always not to overcook or burn a frittata!

Baked frittatas (in a casserole dish or muffin tin) are great if you need a make-ahead option.

French Frittata  

We served hundreds, maybe thousands, of frittatas from our catering kitchen, and we always used cream. After many years, I was surprised to learn that we were serving a crustless quiche or a “creamy frittata”. Here, I  call it  A French Frittata because it has cream in it. Call it a Frittata and leave out the milk or cream! This is the beauty of flexibility in the kitchen. 

Serves 4–5

1.25-1.5 pounds of vegetables:

(ideas: 1 clove garlic

1 red pepper cut into 1–2-inch pieces and cooked lightly

1 whole leek, cut in half and thinly sliced, and lightly cooked with a splash of sherry vinegar, is divine

1 small sweet potato, butternut squash, or pumpkin (about 1 cup), diced and cooked

1 cup cooked, chopped spinach or sautéed greens) 

Lots of fresh thyme–about 8 sprigs–or 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

⅓–1/2 cup cheese

⅓ cup ricotta cheese or shredded Parmesan

4–5 ounces feta or goat cheese

6 eggs  (or use Julia’s recipe:

1 cup half-and-half (or heavy  cream, yogurt, crème fraiche, or sour cream)

salt and pepper to taste 

A pinch of nutmeg

1–3 tablespoons herbs or spice blend

8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Using butter or oil, grease the pie plate (or skillet).

Begin filling the plate with the vegetables, spreading them evenly and leaving room for the egg mixture to fill in. Sprinkle half the thyme leaves and seasonings on top of the vegetables, and dot the vegetables with half the cheeses.

Whisk the eggs with the cream. Add salt, pepper, and dried Italian seasonings if you wish. Carefully pour the eggs over the vegetables. When the eggs are beginning to set, place the tomato halves on top, and add the remaining cheeses and the thyme. 

Bake 30-35  minutes, until the eggs are set; the center should be a tad wiggly when you remove it from the oven.

Alternatives 

Zucchini: Grate and salt raw zucchini, allow the moisture to draw out, and then squeeze with a towel. This can be added without precooking. Zucchini and marjoram or basil are a nice balance. Ricotta, salsa verde, or pine nuts are all great with zucchini.

Onion: Bacon, Swiss cheese, walnuts, parsley, and sage are all great companions.

Blue cheese, ham, and sherry vinegar with cloves are  good additions.

Peppers: Consider orange and yellow peppers with harissa, parsley, and preserved lemons.

Chard with onions, basil, thyme, and Gruyère

Tomatoes with eggplant, marjoram, and feta

Spinach with artichoke and feta

Broccoli with cheddar and green onion

Mushrooms with arugula and goat cheese