that contains small pieces of a vegetable,
meat, or cheese. To make it firm enough to be
cut into wedges for serving, a quiche normally
contains 2 whole eggs per cup/250 ml of
liquid, and is baked unprotected by a water
bath, either alone or in a precooked crust. The
Italian frittata and Egyptian eggah are similar
preparations that omit any milk or cream.
Crème Caramel and Crème Brûlée Crème
caramel is a freestanding sweet custard with a
layer of moist caramel on top. It’s made by
coating the bottom of the dish with a layer of
caramelized sugar (see p. 656) before the
custard mix is poured in and cooked. The
caramel does harden and stick to the dish, but
moisture from the custard mix softens it, and
the two layers become partly integrated. The
custard is turned out of the dish while still
slightly warm and the caramel soft. If the
custard must be refrigerated before serving,
leave it in the mold; the caramel can be