Alder & Oat's ham-and-cheese quiche stays crisp

At Alder & Oat, the bottom of the quiche shell needs to be dry, not just pale, before the filling goes in, said Eli Rosenfeld, who handles the café’s morning pastry.

Rosenfeld keeps returning to the ham-and-cheese quiche he bakes there. Of four members asked which café’s version they go back for, he was the only one who named a place. For him, the draw is a crisp bottom beneath custard that is just set.

“We blind-bake the shell until the bottom’s dry, not just pale, before the filling goes in. That’s what keeps it crisp under the custard,” Rosenfeld said. He uses diced ham and grated Gruyère, keeping the ham pieces small enough to get some in each bite.

Priya Desai said she could not recommend a quiche she had tried and would return for. Nico Sato had no particular café in mind, and Mara Velez said she had not tried a ham-and-cheese quiche at a café.

That leaves one tested return trip among the four accounts, to a café where the person recommending the slice also makes it. Rosenfeld’s reason comes down to what survives the pour and the bake:

“The bottom stays crisp, the custard’s just set, and you can still taste the ham and cheese.”