Preheat oven to 400F. Line a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper. This is to keep the puff pastry crust from sticking.
Roll the thawed puff pastry out just slightly so that it covers the bottom and goes up the sides of the baking sheet to form a crust. If you like you can score the edges of the crust along the perimeter of the pan with the tip of a sharp knife, just to define the crust. Do not cut all the way through the dough. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the pastry and weigh down with pie weights or dry beans.
Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the beans and the top parchment paper. Place back in the oven for 5-10 more minutes, the crust should be light golden brown. If your pastry has puffed up in spots, gently press it down with the back of a spoon. Set the crust aside.
Meanwhile whisk together the eggs, mustard, salt, and half and half in a bowl and set aside.
Scatter 1 cup of the shredded gruyere over the bottom of the par-baked puff pastry. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Add the ham evenly over the surface. Top with the rest of the gruyere and cracked black pepper.
Return the pan to the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the eggs are set and cooked through and the pastry is a rich golden brown.
The quiche can stay at room temperature for 2 hours, and then because it contains eggs, dairy, and perishable fillings, it needs to be refrigerated. I was pleasantly surprised at how well individual servings reheated the next day, just microwave until hot.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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