The coronation quiche was a royal mess. Now it's fit for a king

I'm not one to turn down a recipe challenge. So when I came across such verdicts as "weird choice," "coronation abomination" and "wet omelet" regarding the Coronation Quiche recipe released by the British royal family in honor of the crowning of King Charles III, I didn't run the other way. I thought, "I can fix this."

Before I even get to my issues with the actual recipe, let's start with the big-picture questions. Why quiche? "The recipe was chosen by the king and queen consort in conjunction with the royal chef, Mark Flanagan, whose recipe it is," because quiche is a budget-friendly dish that can be served hot or cold and tweaked for a variety of dietary or ingredient preferences, the Guardian reported. Does Charles even like quiche? "The King loves anything with eggs and cheese," says a former royal chef. Isn't quiche more French than British? Well, kind of, yes, but most likely its roots are actually in Germany. (Then again, Charles's family also has German roots.)

Anyway, the idea is that people all over the country, or world, will serve the quiche as part of the Coronation Big Lunch celebrations taking place during the upcoming festive weekend (the ceremony itself kicks off at 6 a.m. Eastern time Saturday). Easier said than done.

At first, I assumed people were overreacting, because, well, the internet. Then I started really studying the recipe, which features loads of spinach, broad (a.k.a. fava) beans and cheddar. Were two eggs really enough? Was there a sufficient amount of dough? Was it too much liquid? Would the crust and filling be fully baked in the specified time?

Turns out, the answer to all those questions was no. Already doubtful of the amount of dough and its use of lard, I went ahead and swapped in a go-to flaky butter-based pie crust before I even started. (Fellow food writer Felicity Cloake at the Guardian agrees, suggesting you double the amount of pastry in the recipe.) I also made the decision to go with a larger fluted tart pan - Brits call it a flan tin - because we in the States tend to default to 9 inches rather than the 20 centimeters, slightly less than 8 inches, that the royals specified. This resulted in a modest, proportional increase in some of the other filling ingredients to compensate for the larger size. Otherwise, I tried to hew pretty closely to the original recipe.

It was . . . rough. Soggy, pale pastry. Loose, wet filling.

It's been 70 years since Charles's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was crowned, so maybe (maybe?) we can chalk up the commemorative recipe cobwebs to that. In her case, the event was marked with coronation chicken, essentially a chicken salad dressed in curry-accented mayo and a whiff of British colonialism. At the very least, it's the kind of recipe that is hard to mess up and easy to fix on the fly.

Not so here. There are too many ways for quiche to go wrong. So it drove me a bit mad to not know whether the weight of the spinach was before or after cooking, or how I should be cooking it. The fava bean details were similarly slim.

I needed to firm up these specifics, and I happened to not have a bevy of palace employees hanging around to wilt spinach or cook up a few fava beans to yield a mere 1/2 cup or so. I turned to the convenient, economical freezer section to streamline. One package of frozen chopped spinach and a bag of shelled edamame did the trick (the royal recipe offered "soya," or soy, beans as a swap for the fava). Both quickly and easily cooked in the microwave while the crust par-baked. One thing I suggest you not cheat on is the cheese. Yes, there's a lot here, but it would be a missed opportunity to not lean into this quintessential British specialty. So if you can, seek out an aged English cheddar; the Coastal brand is one I routinely find at my local supermarket.

Two tests in with these tweaks, and I still had a dish that was hardly worthy of a once-in-a-lifetime fete. Perhaps the mere two eggs was a nod to the shortage across the pond, but I couldn't fathom calling something a quiche with so little of the star ingredient. Plus, it was clear the texture of the filling was not going to set properly without at least one more. I splurged on a third egg - this is going to feed up to eight people, after all! - and reduced the milk and cream.

With those changes, plus a not insignificant doubling of the total bake time, I pulled out a puffed, golden tart I'd be more than proud to serve to royalty, or hungry friends and family. Keep calm and quiche on.

Coronation Quiche

MAKES: 6 to 8 servings

Active time: 45 minutes. Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

You can make this recipe using your favorite homemade or store-bought pie dough. You'll need enough for a single 9-inch crust.

Storage Note: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

INGREDIENTS

• Unsalted butter, for greasing
• All-purpose flour, for dusting (optional)
• 1 unbaked single pie crust for a 9-inch pie, store-bought or homemade
• 10 ounces (280 grams) frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) frozen shelled edamame (may substitute peas)
• 1 1/2 cups (125 grams) grated aged cheddar cheese, preferably English
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) milk (any percentage)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (may substitute one or a mix of other leafy herbs, such as oregano, mint or basil)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Lightly grease a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan with butter.

If not using a store-bought crust that's already rolled out, dust the work surface generously with flour and roll the dough until it's 12 inches wide and just slightly thicker than 1/8-inch, giving it a quarter-turn every so often and flipping over to the other side, dusting with more flour as needed. Loosely wrap the dough around a rolling pin and then gently drape it over the tart pan. Working your way around, lift the edges of the dough and press it into the bottom and sides of the pan. Leave about a 1/2- to 1-inch overhang of dough, trimming or patching as needed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Position racks in the middle and bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Have ready a large, rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment if you want to minimize cleanup.

Transfer the tart pan to the prepared baking sheet. Line the crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights, dried beans, rice, pennies or granulated sugar (the sugar can be subsequently used for baking). Bake on the bottom rack for 15 minutes - the crust won't be baked through.

Remove the parchment or foil and pie weights from the crust. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the crust all over and return to the bottom rack of the oven on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the bottom is dry with some light golden spots. Transfer to a heatproof counter or wire rack.

To trim away the excess pie crust, use a rolling pin to gently press around the top of the fluted edges, then pull away the extra crust. (For a cook's treat, you can leave these on the baking sheet while the quiche bakes, though they may need to be pulled out a little sooner once they're deeply golden and flaky.)

While the crust bakes, cook the spinach in the microwave according to the package instructions. Transfer to a towel and wring out as much of the water as possible (it's great for green smoothies!). Then cook the frozen edamame in the microwave according to the package instructions, draining and patting dry when done.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Scatter half of the grated cheese evenly over the crust, followed by the spinach (you may need to pull it apart a bit to better distribute it) and edamame.

In a large glass measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, milk, tarragon, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour into the crust, ensuring it evenly fills in around the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake on the middle rack for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is puffed, set and lightly golden. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. When ready, remove the fluted sides of the pan (you can do this easily by setting it on top of a large can), cut and serve.

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