This quiche is a celebration of Spring!  Leeks, asparagus, and garlic are cradled in a perfect pie crust and smothered with Gruyere and Emmental cheese.  Give yourself time for preparation and the baking and cooling off time, as it isn’t a speedy process.  Use a 9.5″-10″ springform pan (I use my cheesecake pan) for a deep dish quiche. If you are using another pan, just make sure it’s not shallow, or you will need to adjust the custard amount and cook time.  Serve with Firmly Rooted Farm greens for a truly local food experience.

Day before:

Make your dough, cook your veggies, grate your cheese.

Day of:

Blind bake your dough, make your egg mixture, assemble quiche, and cook.

Quiche Dough 

Ingredients 

1 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp  (or 300g) all purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

2 sticks or 226.8g unsalted butter, cold & cubed

3/4 cups – 1 1/2 cups or 60g-120g water, cold

Method

  1. combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and with a paddle attachment, mix on low until well combined – *if using a stainless steel mixing bowl, pop it in the freezer ahead of time so it keeps the ingredients cold while you mix*
  2. add the cold cubed butter and mix on low until the butter pieces are the size of blueberries
  3. with the mixer running on low, slowly add enough water to form a dough.  It’s important not to over mix and to keep your ingredients cold.  I keep a measuring cup full of ice cubes and water to use for this step and add until the dough just comes together
  4. transfer the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, form a disc, and wrap tightly
  5. refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight
  6. remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and on a well-floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick  *or 2″ larger than your baking dish*
  7. carefully place the dough into a 9.5″ springform pan then gently lift and drop the dough into the sides of the pan, pressing the dough down.  If your dough gets too warm while working with it, place in the fridge for 10 minutes.  Make sure excess dough hangs off the edge of the pan- this will prevent it from shrinking during your blind-bake
  8. once the dough is flush with the side of the pan, place in fridge for 1 hour
  9. preheat oven to 375, and using two pieces of pre-crumpled parchment paper, place it over your chilled dough until fully covered and fill the pan to the rim with baking beans or sugar (sugar gives a more even bake)
  10. place your pan on a baking sheet and blind-bake pie for 25 minutes, then remove sugar and parchment and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry looks dry and is pale golden colour.  *when removing the sugar or beans from the pan, I used a spoon to scoop most of it out, then pull the parchment up to remove the rest*
  11. using a pairing knife, carefully trim the excess crust from the sides
  12. allow to cool completely

Blanched Asparagus

Ingredients 

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2″ pieces

Method 

  1. bring a large pot of water to a boil and add asparagus
  2. in a large bowl, make an ice bath using ice cubes and cold water
  3. cook asparagus for 3-4 minutes, then using tongs, transfer asparagus to the ice bowl
  4. once cooled, drain and set aside

Caramelized Leeks

Ingredients 

1 bunch leeks, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, mined

1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup water

salt, to taste

Method

  1. soak sliced leeks in cold water for 10 minutes, and drain
  2. in a medium skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium-high
  3. add the leeks and lower the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid, stirring occasionally to avoid uneven browning.  Cook for 15 minutes
  4. mix in garlic, dijon, and thyme and cook for another 5 minutes
  5. add the water, cover, and let cook for another 5 minutes, then uncover and cook until water is evaporated, about 5-10 minutes
  6. season with salt and reserve

Custard 

Ingredients 

2 cups milk

2 cups sour cream (full fat)

10 eggs

6 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt

2 tsp white pepper

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

Method 

  1. combine the milk and sour cream into a large bowl and whisk until well combined
  2. in a bowl of a stand mixer, add 4 eggs and the flour and whisk until a paste forms
  3. add the remaining eggs and milk mixture
  4. whisk until well combined and add nutmeg, salt, white pepper, and thyme
  5. whisk custard on medium speed for 2 minutes or until mixture is light and frothy

Assembly

Ingredients

1 blind baked pie dough

blanched asparagus

caramelized leek mixture

egg custard

200g Gruyere cheese, grated

175g Emmental cheese, grated

Method

  1. preheat oven to 325
  2. grab that cooled pie shell, place on two layers of foil (one going each way), press against side of pan, and place on a baking sheet *this will prevent any custard from leaking out in case you have crust that’s short in some places*
  3.  spread 1/3 of the Gruyere and 1/3 of the Emmental across the bottom
  4. layer 1/2 of the asparagus and 1/2 of the leek mixture on top
  5. add 1/2 the custard mixture or until the vegetables are covered
  6. repeat the layering process with another 1/3 of each cheese, the rest of the vegetables, and the remaining custard until shell is about full (you may have some custard left over)
  7. add the remaining cheese on top
  8. bake for 90 minutes or until edges of custard are set but the middle is still a bit jiggly
  9. allow quiche to cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours before serving