Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch pie dish or tart pan
• •Pie weights or dried beans
• •10 or 12-inch cast iron skillet
• •Rolling pin
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pie dough

   Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Those butter chunks are your friends. They create the flaky layers when the dough bakes. Drizzle in three tablespoons of ice water and stir with a fork until the dough just comes together. Add the last tablespoon only if needed. The dough should hold when pressed but not feel wet or sticky.

   Cold butter is everything. If your kitchen runs warm, freeze the cubes for ten minutes before starting. Warm butter makes tough, dense crust.
2. 2

   Chill and roll the crust

   Gather the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. This lets the gluten relax and the butter firm up again. Roll the chilled dough on a floured surface into a twelve-inch circle, about an eighth of an inch thick. Fit it gently into a nine-inch pie dish or tart pan, pressing into the corners without stretching. Trim the overhang to half an inch and fold it under, crimping as you like. Refrigerate the lined pan for another fifteen minutes while you preheat your oven.

3. 3

   Blind bake the crust

   Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line the chilled crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for fifteen minutes until the edges look set and dry. Remove the weights and parchment, then bake another five to seven minutes until the bottom looks dry and barely golden. This step prevents a soggy bottom. Nobody wants that. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

   Save those dried beans in a jar after they cool. You can reuse them for blind baking dozens of times.
4. 4

   Cook the andouille and trinity

   While the crust bakes, heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced andouille and cook until the edges brown and the fat renders out, about five minutes. The kitchen should smell like a Louisiana smokehouse. Remove the sausage to a plate, leaving that beautiful rendered fat in the pan. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the onions turn translucent, about six minutes. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning in the last minute. The spices should bloom and become fragrant. Taste the vegetables. They should be seasoned but not overpowering.

   Cooking the trinity in andouille fat is not optional. That rendered fat carries smoky flavor into every bite of the finished quiche.
5. 5

   Build the custard

   Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until smooth. Add the heavy cream, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Whisk until completely combined. The custard should be a uniform pale yellow with no streaks of egg white visible. Taste it. Yes, taste raw custard. You need to know if the seasoning is right before it goes in the oven. Adjust salt and pepper now. You cannot fix a bland quiche after it bakes.

6. 6

   Assemble the quiche

   Scatter half the shredded pepper jack across the bottom of the par-baked crust. Spread the cooked andouille and trinity mixture evenly over the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese. Pour the custard slowly over everything, letting it seep into all the gaps. The filling should come just below the rim. Scatter the sliced green onion tops across the surface.

7. 7

   Bake until just set

   Bake at 350 degrees for forty to forty-five minutes. The quiche is done when the edges are puffed and golden but the center still jiggles like set gelatin when you gently shake the pan. It should not slosh like liquid, and it should not be firm all the way through. Carryover cooking will finish the center as it rests. Overbaking makes rubbery eggs, and that is a tragedy.

   If the crust edges brown too fast, tent them loosely with foil halfway through baking.
8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Let the quiche rest for at least fifteen minutes before slicing. This is hard. The smell will tempt you. But the custard needs time to set fully and will slice cleanly if you wait. Serve warm or at room temperature. At Lagniappe, we put hot sauce on the table and let folks doctor their own slice. A little Crystal or Tabasco never hurt anything.

Chef Tips

• •The quality of your andouille determines the quality of your quiche. Look for Louisiana-made andouille from a butcher or specialty store. The supermarket versions are often bland imposters.
• •If you are short on time, a store-bought refrigerated pie crust works fine. I will not tell anyone. Just make sure it is an all-butter crust, not one made with shortening.
• •This quiche reheats beautifully. Warm slices in a 300 degree oven for ten to twelve minutes. The microwave will make the crust soggy, and we did not work this hard for soggy crust.
• •For a spicier quiche, add a minced jalapeño to the trinity or swap in habanero jack cheese. Know your audience. Some folks want fire, others want flavor without the burn.

Advance Preparation

• •The pie dough can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
• •The andouille and trinity filling can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before assembling.
• •The fully assembled unbaked quiche can be refrigerated overnight, covered tightly. Add five minutes to the baking time when baking from cold.
• •Baked quiche keeps refrigerated for up to four days. Reheat in a 300 degree oven until warmed through, about fifteen minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)