I’ve always wanted to love quiche, with its buttery, flaky crust and rich, custard-like filling. But every time I make it, the crust comes out pale and soggy — the opposite of the golden, crisp shell I’m after. To solve for this, I recently tried baking a quiche in a skillet rather than a pie pan — and it worked! Skillets conduct heat better than most pie pans, ensuring the bottom of the crust comes out fully cooked and perfectly crisp.

While you can use this technique for any quiche recipe, I urge you to try this caramelized onion version. The deeply rich onions lend the filling a gorgeous golden color and bold sweet-yet-savory flavor. It is the perfect recipe to make for brunch or dinner and is equally delicious served hot as it is cold.

3 tips for caramelizing onions

Before you head into the kitchen to make this quiche, keeps these tips in mind.

1. If your onions start to burn, add a splash of water. If some of your onions are browning too quickly, add a tablespoon of water to the pan and keep cooking. This will help release any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and promote even caramelization.

2. Leave them alone. You only need to stir the onions every now and then, so resist the urge to stir too frequently.

3. Be patient and go by color rather than time. Many recipes for caramelized onions call for cooking them for upwards of 30 minutes, but I find 20 minutes does the trick when caramelizing just three onions. Instead of timing them, go by color. The onions should be a deep golden-brown color and very fragrant.

Caramelized Onion Skillet Quiche

Serves 6 to 8

1/2 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated or frozen pie dough, thawed if frozen (or 1 homemade pie dough)

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