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Seafood Quiche sits on wooden cutting board waiting to be sliced

Lobster, Asparagus, and Mushroom Quiche

This gourmet Lobster, Asparagus, and Mushroom Quiche is a delicious way to enjoy lobster. Serve with a side green salad dressed with a light vinaigrette for brunch, lunch, or supper.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword asparagus, lobster, lobster asparagus and mushroom quiche, lobster quiche, mushrooms, quiche
Servings 8
My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara - My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

Pastry:

  • Pastry for a 9½“x2” (24cmx5cm) or 10”x2” (25cmx5cm) deep quiche pan:

Pastry Ingredients:

  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour, if required)
  • 1¼ tsp granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup cold butter
  • ¼ cup cold lard
  • ½ large egg, beaten (1oz/28g) (reserve and set aside remaining half of beaten egg)
  • ¾ tsp white vinegar
  • Enough ice-cold water to equal 2/3 cup when combined with the beaten half egg and the vinegar

Filling:

Filling Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3 oz (85g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
  • 8 oz (227g) cooked lobster meat, chopped into bite-sized chunks and blotted dry in tea towel
  • 3 oz (85g) asparagus (weighed after woody ends snapped off) [recommend purchasing apx. 8 oz/227g whole asparagus to get 3 oz/85g after woody ends removed]
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
  • ½ tbsp cornstarch
  • ½ tbsp all-purpose flour (or gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour, if required)
  • 1½ cups – 18% cream, room temperature [See Note 1 below]
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp dried tarragon
  • ½ tsp dried parsley
  • Scant ½ tsp garlic salt
  • ¼ - ½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp dried basil
  • 1/8 tsp dried dill
  • 2 oz (57g) shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 1 oz (28g) shredded Gouda
  • ¼ oz (8g) finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ tbsp cornstarch
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup fine breadcrumbs
  • Fresh chopped parsley (optional)
  • Sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Method For Pastry:

  1. In medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together. Cut the butter and lard into small chunks and add to the flour. Toss to coat the fats with the flour mixture. With a wire pastry cutter, cut the butter and lard into the flour until the fats resemble the size of large peas.
  2. Lightly beat a large egg in a measuring cup. Remove, reserve, and set aside one-half of the beaten egg in small prep bowl. To the remaining half of the egg, whisk in the vinegar. Add enough ice-cold water to measure 2/3 cup. Add the egg-vinegar-water mixture to the flour, small amounts at a time, and mix with a fork. Add only enough liquid mixture that the dough clings together and can be formed into a ball. Note that not all of the entire 2/3 cup of liquid will likely be needed. Using too much liquid will result in a hard, tough crust. Do not overwork dough or it will become tough.
  3. Form dough into a flat disk shape, place in sealed plastic bag (or airtight container), and transfer to refrigerator for about 30 minutes to chill. Remove disk from the refrigerator and, on lightly floured surface, roll pastry to desired thickness, generally between 1/16” (1.5mm) and 1/8” (3mm) thick, and large enough in diameter to line a 9½”x2” (24cm x 5cm) or 10”x2” (25cm x 5cm) deep quiche pan. Transfer pastry into pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray or very lightly greased, including each crevice on the pan’s side. Fit pastry snugly into each crevice on pan sides. Roll rolling pin across top of quiche pan to neatly trim excess dough. Dock pastry bottom in several places with fork tines to prevent air pockets from forming while the crust bakes. Refrigerate quiche shell for a minimum of 30 minutes (or place in freezer for 20 minutes or so) to chill in order to reduce pastry shrinkage during baking.
  4. While pastry shell is chilling, position oven rack in lowest rack position and preheat oven to 400°F.
  5. Crumple and distress a piece of parchment paper large enough to mold around the inside of the quiche pan, being careful not to tear the paper and allowing enough overhang by which to grasp it to remove the ceramic pie weights or dried beans that will be placed in it for blind baking and which will be removed part way through the pastry par-baking process. This crumpling/distressing procedure will weaken the parchment paper, allowing it to be more pliable for fitting into the quiche pan. Depending on the quality of parchment paper, repeat with a second piece of distressed parchment paper, if necessary. The paper lining needs to be strong enough to hold the pie weights/dry beans when they are being lifted from the quiche shell part way through the par-baking.
  6. Remove the quiche shell from the refrigerator (or freezer) and place on a rimmed cookie sheet or pizza pan for ease of transfer to and from oven. Carefully fit the distressed parchment paper inside the quiche shell. Repeat with the second layer of parchment paper, if necessary. Add ceramic pie weights or dry uncooked beans, filling the quiche pan about 2/3 to ¾ full, and ensuring the pie weights/dried beans are evenly distributed.
  7. Transfer quiche shell to the oven. Bake quiche shell for 17-18 minutes. Remove shell from oven and carefully remove the pie weights/dried beans and parchment paper and transfer them to a heatproof bowl. Be very careful as the pie weights/dried beans will be hot! As some of the earlier pierced holes in the quiche shell may have filled in during the blind baking process with the pie weights/dried beans, further pierce the quiche shell in several places with the tines of a fork, if necessary, to prevent it from forming air bubbles as it continues to bake.
  8. Beat the reserved one-half beaten egg with a scant 1 tablespoon of milk or water. Using a silicone pastry brush, very lightly brush egg wash over the pastry. Return quiche shell to oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes. Cool shell in pan on wire rack while making filling. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Method for Filling:

  1. Pre-prep: Set out eggs and dairy and allow to come to room temperature. Slice mushrooms. Snap off woody ends of asparagus and cut into pieces approximately 1/3” long. Chop onion. Blot lobster in tea towel to remove excess moisture and chop into bite-sized pieces. Refrigerate lobster until called for in recipe. Mix seasonings together in small prep bowl. Prepare the cheeses. In small bowl, toss the cheeses together with ½ tablespoon of cornstarch. Measure out ¼ cup fine breadcrumbs.
  2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When shimmering, add the butter. Add the mushrooms and stir continuously for about 2 minutes then add the chopped onion, continuing to stir mixture for about 2-3 minutes longer, until onions become transparent and mushrooms have released their moisture. Transfer mixture to clean tea towel and blot to remove excess moisture. Set aside in tea towel.
  3. Boil small amount of water with salt in small saucepan. Add the asparagus spears for 1½ minutes then immediately drain and plunge the spears into a bowl of ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Cool slightly then chop into pieces about 1/3” in size. Place in clean tea towel and blot out excess moisture. Set aside.
  4. In medium-sized bowl, or large measuring cup with spout, whisk the eggs lightly. Whisk in the cornstarch and flour until smooth. Add the cream, Dijon mustard, and seasonings. Set aside.

To assemble:

  1. Place quiche pan on rimmed baking sheet or pizza pan for ease of transfer to and from oven.

    Sprinkle ¼ cup fine bread crumbs over slightly cooled quiche base. Distribute the cheese mixture over crumbs followed by the mushroom and onion mixture. Add the layer of lobster followed by the asparagus.

  2. Pour the liquid custard mixture over the ingredients. Top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.
  3. Transfer quiche to oven, placing it on the center of the rack that is positioned at lowest level (i.e., one rung up from oven bottom). Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes then reduce heat to 325°F and bake for approximately 40-50 minutes or so, or until top of quiche is set and tanned but center of quiche is still ever-so-slightly jiggly and a knife inserted into center of quiche comes out clean. Start checking quiche for doneness around the 50-minute mark of baking. If quiche starts to brown too much, tent loosely with tin foil for the last 15 minutes of baking. Do not overbake quiche as it has the potential to curdle and the lovely custard texture will be lost.
  4. Remove quiche from oven and let stand at least 15-20 minutes to set before removing from pan and cutting.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. 8 servings

[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]

Note 1: For a richer custard, substitute part of the 1½ cups of 18% cream with an equal amount of whipping cream.

Note 2: Baking times given in this recipe are a guideline as every oven heats differently.