by monkeymom
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monkeymom's Notes:
Expand1 1/2 - 2 medium zucchini, about 2 inches in diameter Ask a question about this ingredient
3 Tbsp olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
1 medium onion, diced Ask a question about this ingredient
½ tsp thyme leaves, chopped. Ask a question about this ingredient
1 garlic clove, minced Ask a question about this ingredient
4 beaten eggs Ask a question about this ingredient
2 cups milk Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese, well drained (see headnote above, but store-bought is also fine) Ask a question about this ingredient
zest from ½ a lemon Ask a question about this ingredient
2 Tbsp chopped basil Ask a question about this ingredient
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese Ask a question about this ingredient
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes Ask a question about this ingredient
1 Tbsp olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Ask a question about this stepSlice zucchini lengthwise into thin strips. Your ribbons don’t have to be perfect for this, I cut mine with just a chef’s knife. You can also use a mandoline or a vegetable peeler.
Ask a question about this stepHeat olive oil on medium high heat. Add diced onion, thyme, a pinch of pepper, and two big pinches of salt. Cook until onions are translucent, soft, and slightly browned. Add garlic and sauté briefly. Take off heat and cool.
Ask a question about this stepMix together eggs, milk, 1 tsp of salt, and flour. Add cooled onions. Mix and set aside.
Ask a question about this stepMix together ricotta, basil, salt, and parmesan. Taste and add more salt, pepper, lemon zest, or parmesan to taste.
Ask a question about this stepDrop 1 Tbsp of olive oil into a 9 inch round baking pan and coat the pan. Then, use excess oil to coat slices of zucchini as you line the outer rim. You can use thicker and longer slices of zucchini or layer thin slices. Add egg mixture. Then, drop spoonfuls of ricotta mixture into the egg mixture. Finally, weave remaining zucchini slices through the egg mixture in swirly patterns. Tuck some in at different angles so when you slice the quiche, you get some layered throughout. You might not need all of the zucchini, depending on how big they were. Sprinkle a little chopped basil and parmesan on top.
Ask a question about this stepBake at 350 degrees for 30--40 minutes until egg is set. The quiche shouldn’t be sloshy, just slightly wiggly. Cool quiche for at least 10 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepWhen quiche has about 10 minutes of cooking time left, toss tomatoes with oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Bake 10-15 minutes while quiche is baking and cooling.
Ask a question about this stepServe a slice of quiche with roasted tomatoes, some freshly cut basil and a sprinkling of parmesan.
Ask a question about this stepThis looks like a piece of art!
I have this in the oven right now. I can't wait to try it! It already smells great and I love the basil-ricotta mixture!
Oh, the springform pan is a great idea! Julienned zukes also sound terrific. I have to say that I'm also going to fiddle with this more as well. I really liked how this combo for a crustless quiche turned out. Thanks very much dymnyno for workshopping this one with me!
I made this again using a springform pan. This allows the zucchini crust to show off. I mixed the egg and milk mixture and the cheese, basil mixture and then I mixed them together. It worked out ok. I think that it made the overall texture a little bit firmer. I (using my new gadget) julienned a zuke and sauteed that and then topped the quiche with an extravagant mixture of the two. It looked gorgeous!!
That is a lovely recipe and a georgous picture.
Thanks cheese1227! I think zukes can vary in water content so I'm going to keep testing it out more this summer!
If only I'd thought more about the $2 pan...I tried this tonight and although the flavor was lovely the texture was not. I used a corningware-type baking dish (automatic instinct for a crustless quiche, though of course it makes no sense for a zucchini crust). I think my second mistake was trying to use too much zucchini (just 1.5, but they were medium-sized). Sigh. I look forward to giving it another try, this time in a cake pan!
I'm sorry to hear about that. But I'm glad you brought it up....Perhaps only one zucchini per quiche is a good place to start for others. I'll try it in my 9 in metal cake pan when I get home again. Thanks for the feedback!
I finally got around to trying the recipe in a cake pan, and it made all the difference! The custard set perfectly: delicate, silky, so delicious. I managed to fit most of a very large zucchini in there, so it really is the pan that makes the difference...
I am out to harvest a few zukes....I love this recipe!! Smitten Kitchen posted one that is a lot like yours with a gorgeous crust....I like the crustfree dietwise a lot better.
I love smitten kitchen. I've also chased the elusive Keller quiche...it is frustrating. For this week's theme I kept thinking of zucchini tarts and crusty things but I just couldn't bring myself to test buttery crusty things in Hawaii. Too much bread making this year!
ps, please let me know how yours turns out as ody's go at it in the corning was not so great...
I used a deep cake pan...it turned out very creamy...delicious...I like the use of the zucchini as crust. I think that next time I will salt the zucchini and squeeze as much moisture as I can to make the quiche more solid. Thank god for this contest...I may have planted too many zukes again this year!
Love your use of zucchini peel in place of crust! Gorgeous, too.
This looks amazing---I love the basil ricotta idea and the ribbons look like a great way to keep the zucchini from watering everything down---I can't wait to try it!
I had debated salting the zucchini but did not. Was pleasantly surprised it didn't release water at all (tested it twice to make sure). Basil ricotta is from our lasagna recipe - yum!
I love crustless quiches--can't wait to make this--great recipe!
lovely! I like that you use milk instead of cream.
Thanks Jennifer Ann! I've done this BH&G recipe with either whole or nonfat milk and it still turns out great! I accidently used nonfat milk instead of whole for the ricotta and it also still was great too (no sub for the heavy cream though!).
Wow. That is seriously pretty. I want to have a brunch so I can serve this beauty. Thanks, Monkeymom.
Please let me know how it turns out for you MrsW. I'm on vacation and bought this 2 buck cake pan which turned out ot work well for this recipe.
This looks so good. And I love the look of the zucchini strips!
Thanks ChezSuzanne! I admit that the crust was partly inspired by your beautiful timbale!
I love the idea! And I think I'm just going to have to make this lovely dish over the holiday weekend. Hope you're enjoying your vacation!
Mmmm, gorgeous! Sounds wonderfully tasty, too. Love it. ;o)
Thanks so much AntoniaJames! The recipe is very adaptable to different cheeses and additions.
Beautiful monkeymom! I'm going to try this!