Asparagus, Leek, and Gruyere Quiche

This is the perfect quiche. I have made it with the homemade crust and with a Trader Joe’s pie crust- great. I have even made it with a gluten-free crust. Delicious as well, of course. 🙂

I added extra leeks on one occasion which was a mistake. I should have known not to mess with perfection! I usually do add a little extra gruyère though. This recipe was adapted from Everyday Food.

We eat it with a green salad and roasted potatoes to make it hearty enough for dinner.

Yield: Serves 6

• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1 leek (white and light green parts only), halved and thinly sliced, then well washed
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bunch (1 pound) asparagus, tough ends removed, thinly sliced on the diagonal (keep tips whole)
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (4 oz)
• 4 large or extra-large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
• freshly ground nutmeg
• chilled pie crust, fitted into a 9-inch pie plate (recipe below)

1. Make the pie crust as instructed below. When the crust is chilled in the pie dish, proceed with the filling.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, preferably on convection, with rack in lowest position.
3. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add sliced leek and asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes; let cool.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
5. Place pie crust in a pie dish on a parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese; top with asparagus mixture. Pour egg mixture on top.
6. Bake until center of quiche is just set, about 50 on convection or up to 60 minutes in a standard oven, rotating sheet halfway through.
7. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Quiche can also be served at room temperature.

Note: To make sure the vegetables are distributed evenly, spread them in the crust before pouring in the egg mixture.

Everyday Food’s “Our Favorite Pie Crust”

The pastry blender is a useful tool to evenly incorporate ice water into the flour-and-butter mixture. Adding just a little ice water at a time ensures that the dough attains the right texture.

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling dough (gluten-free 1:1 flour okay)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 8 T (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 T ice water, plus 2 more, if needed (I typically use 4 T)

1. In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar several times to combine.
2. Add butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces remaining.
3. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not over process.
4. Turn dough out onto a work surface; form dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
5. Once chilled, unwrap dough; place on a large piece of floured waxed paper or plastic wrap. Roll dough to a 14-inch round.
6. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin (discarding paper); carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate. (I have also used a deep dish pie dish- not necessary but still okay.)
7. Trim overhang to 1 inch; fold overhang under itself. Pinch between thumb and forefinger to make a uniform edge around the rim. Crimp edge.
8. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour, before proceeding with the recipe above.

Note: Always start with chilled dough and a well-floured work surface. Chilled dough does not soften as quickly as warmer dough; flour absorbs any moisture and prevents sticking.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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