At Le Pichet, a French brasserie in Seattle, Washington, we rekindled our love for quiche. This recipe is based on the restaurant’s formula for creating a quiche that’s tall and creamy, yet light and richly flavored. The key is crème fraîche in addition to the heavy cream, along with just the right number of eggs. Baking the quiche on a hot baking steel (or baking stone) obviates the need to prebake the crust (a hassle with most quiche recipes), as the heat from the steel helps brown the bottom crust, thereby staving off sogginess. We’re fond of buttery homemade pastry, but if you wish to take a shortcut, stack two refrigerated pie crusts on top of each other, then fold into quarters. Press the dough layers together, shape into a 6-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll out the dough and line the tart pan or pie plate following the recipe below for pastry for deep-dish quiche.

Deep-Dish Quiche with Swiss Chard, Roasted Peppers and Cheddar

Follow the recipe to heat the oven and baking steel. In a nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium, melt 1 tablespoon salted butter. Add 1 bunch Swiss chard (both stems and leaves, chopped) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid released has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool, then wrap in a kitchen towel and squeeze to remove excess moisture. In the same pan over medium, melt 2 tablespoons salted butter. Add 1 medium yellow onion (finely chopped) and ½ teaspoon kosher salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in ½ cup roasted red peppers (patted dry and chopped), 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano and the chard. Cook, stirring, until the oregano is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool completely. Meanwhile, follow the recipe to mix the egg-cream mixture and prepare the pastry. Distribute the chard mixture evenly in the chilled pastry, then top with 6 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (1½ cups) and set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Continue with the recipe to pour in the egg-cream mixture and bake and cool the quiche.

Deep-Dish Quiche with Sausage, Fennel and Asiago

Follow the recipe to mix and refrigerate the egg-cream mixture. In a nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium, melt 1 tablespoon salted butter. Add 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage (casing removed) and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add 1 medium red onion (halved and thinly sliced), 1 large fennel bulb (trimmed, halved and thinly sliced) and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Off heat, stir in ¼ cup chopped fresh basil. Transfer to a plate and let cool, then cover and refrigerate. Meanwhile, follow the recipe to prepare the pastry and heat the oven and baking steel. Distribute the sausage mixture evenly in the chilled pastry, then top with 6 ounces shredded Asiago cheese (1½ cups) and set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Continue with the recipe to pour in the egg-cream mixture and bake and cool the quiche.