Sweet Pea Ham Quiche

Quiche is always a good idea. The savory custard-filled deep-dish French tart is classic, versatile and a welcome addition to any table – be it lunch, dinner or brunch. I think a basic quiche recipe is a must-have in your cooking repertoire. And this is where I come in today with one my favorite versions – a Sweet Pea and Ham Quiche.

This simple variant is loaded with bursting sweet peas and rounded out with cubed ham and cheese, for a perfect mix of sweet and salty flavors. This is a perfect Spring recipe that’s sure to please your family and/or your guests. Extra points if you make the pie crust from scratch! 

Quiche – versatile, practical, crowd-pleasing.

If you’re new to quiches, this is how you should look at it: a crisp pie crust encasing a bunch of ingredients, simply binded together by an egg and milk custard. From that point, you can see how versatile a quiche can be. You can always pick different combinations of ingredients to fill it: ham and cheese (as in the classic Quiche Lorraine); mushrooms in the Fall; leeks in the Winter; asparagus or peas in the Spring; zucchini, tomatoes or spinach in the Summer. Add-ons are always welcome too: fresh herbs, cheeses, ham, bacon and so on.  

I love how quiches invite creativity and always tempt you to try a new twist on it. Quiche are perfect to make do with what’s in season or to use up any produces and fixings that may be lingering in your fridge. The possibilities are endless, and this makes it clear why a basic quiche recipe is a must have in your French cooking repertoire.

Quiches are also practical. You can enjoy them warm, at room temperature or chilled. They play the part for an elegant brunch as well as for a portable lunch. They also freeze very well, and can be quickly reheated in the oven.

The recipe

This Sweet Pea and Ham Quiche is one of my favorite Spring variants. The buttery crisp pie crust is the perfect vessel for the savory filling of eggs, milk and loads of cheese. The salty ham cubes contrast with the sweet peas, and make for a colorful looking quiche.

We like to enjoy it warm or cool, by the slice, and with a salad or a serving of green vegetables.

Cooking notes:

• Although you can use a store-bought pie crust for convenience, I think making your pie crust from scratch will go a long way. This only requires about 15 minutes of extra time, and guarantees a crisp buttery crust. I also like to know all the ingredients that are in my pie crust (no additives, no insane amounts of salt, etc.). My pie crust recipe will give you enough for a 9-inch pie crust, plus a little extra if you want to make an individual quiche on the side – or keep it in the freezer for another project (well-wrapped in plastic film).
• To make this quiche more accessible year-round, it calls for frozen peas. If you wish to use fresh peas, boil them for 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to an ice bath to cool completely. Drain well and pat dry. You can then add them into the filling.
• For the ham, choose an “original” or “traditional black forest” ham (not flavoured; ie. brown sugar or honey maple). 
• For the cheese, choose a hard mild-tasting one, such as gruyère, white cheddar or mozzarella. Parmesan is too salty in taste for my liking in this recipe.
• The amount of filling in this recipe is just right to fill a low-sided 9-inch tart pan. If you have one on-hand, I recommend you use a pie dish with a removable bottom, which will support the crust when lifting your tart.

I hope you enjoy this Sweet Pea Ham Quiche as much as I do!
Any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. 

You may also like:

• The Quiche Lorraine 
• Herby Spring Vegetable Jardiniere
• Ham Cheese Olive Bread
• Turnip and Carrot Gratin with Dijon Bechamel Sauce 

Sweet Pea Ham Quiche

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 people Prep Time: 45 minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.9/5

( 14 voted )

Ingredients

Pie Crust:
2 cups (260g) all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup (150g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
5 tbsp (75ml) cold water

Filling:
1 tbsp (14g) butter
300g diced ham
300g sweet peas, frozen
4 large eggs
3/4 cup (180ml) milk (2% or whole)
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
¼ tsp cayenne
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (100g) grated cheese (ie. gruyere, cheddar, mozzarella)

Instructions

Make sure your read the cooking notes before you start. 

To make the crust - Mix the flour, salt and butter with your fingers or pulse in a food processor, until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix until the dough roughly comes together into a ball; do not overmix. Add a few more splashes of water if you feel the dough is too crumbly/dry. Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish. Transfer the dough onto a floured working surface and roll it out to a 12-inch (31cm) circle. Transfer the crust to the pie dish. Cut any excess crust that hangs over the edge, and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork.

Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle.  

To make the filling - In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter and sautee the cubed ham for 6-8 minutes until lightly brown. Set aside. Cook the sweet peas in the same pan until thawed, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, mustard and season with cayenne and pepper. Add the grated cheese, cooked ham and peas. Stir to combine and pour into the pie crust. Do not fill it to the rim: the filling will lightly puff up as it bakes.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is golden. Transfer onto a cooling rack and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit! 

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy & Disclosure page for more details.