classic quiche

Last weekend I had a very dear old friend over for catching up over some bubbly and light fare. I decided to make one of my new favorite dishes-- quiche. It's a new favorite because it is so versatile and I am finally mastering the crust. I have to say, it is not as intimidating as most like to think. I also enjoy making this dish because the leftovers are excellent for days to come! It can be a little time consuming so this round I made my dough the day before and let it chill overnight in the fridge. I based my recipe on one that I found in the delightful, Little French Cookbook. Traditionally quiche that comes from Lorraine never contains onion and purists will omit cheese. I went the way of the faux pas and not only added onion but also two types of cheese!

pastry:

~1.5 cups of flour

~healthy pinch of salt & cracked pepper

~1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

~1/2 cup of butter

~2 tbsp ice cold water

filling:

~1 cup of mushrooms

~2 cups of spinach

~2 shallots

~1/4 cup of goat cheese (half a small wheel)

~4 eggs

~1 cup cream

~salt & pepper

~parsley & scallion as topping

Start by creating your pastry dough. Keep in mind, whenever you are making pastry you want everything to be COLD. Cold makes good dough. So I would pre-chill the stick of butter in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, along with the ice water and even chill the bowl you will be mixing in. Another pointer in making great pastry is use a pastry cutter. If you don't have one, a fork and knife will work. So while you are chilling your bits & pieces, sift the flour, pepper and salt into your mixing bowl. Cut in butter until the mix becomes a coarse meal. Add the shredded cheese. Next, start sprinkling the dough with the ice water mixing it in. At this point I usually begin to use my hands to gently mix the dough into a ball, but before doing so I run them under cold water to bring down my temperature as not to melt the butter too much. Let it rest at least 20 minutes or you can wrap in plastic and leave in the refrigerator to roll out later. While dough is resting, chop your veggies. Next, pre-heat the over and flour a flat, clean surface to roll your dough out on.

Roll the dough thin and lay into a baking dish or pie tin. Blind bake the crust for 20 minutes at 375*F.

While your crust is baking, saute the shallots in a little butter or olive oil. After about 3 minutes add the mushrooms. When they begin to soften a bit, turn off the heat, throw the spinach on top and cover with a lid to let it wilt. Lightly beat the eggs with salt, pepper, goat cheese and cream. Remove crust from oven, first add the sauteed vegetables into the shell and then top by pouring the beaten egg mixture over. Finish by sprinkling the parsley & scallion over the top.

Place the quiche back into the oven and bake this time for 25-30 minutes. The crust will be golden, the filling puffy and a knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Enjoy hot or cold!