How to make Leek Quiche

During the Holidays when we were busy shopping, visiting with friends, hosting parties, etc, having a quiche in the refrigerator was real life saver. Whether you eat it right out of the oven, or at room temperature the day after, this is a dish that is satisfying and can be made in advance to save your precious time. And even better, it is a crowd pleaser! Who doesn't like a crusty pastry filled with super flavorful cheesy stuff? 

Another great thing about quiche is that it so versatile, it can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Just serve it along with a delicious salad and you are done!

Leek quiche is a very basic one. But you can be creative and add any of your favorite ingredients to the filling! Just make sure they are cooked and seasoned before you add them to the cream/eggs mixture!

I use a food processor to make the dough. The dough is super easy to make but it needs to be chilled for about 1 hour before you roll it out. Also you must pre bake the crust before adding the filling to make sure the crust does not turn out soggy. Thinking of that, I first prepare the dough. While dough is chilling in the refrigerator I prepare the filling. Then I pre bake the dough (which is quick), and finally I bake the quiche.

The dough:

After dough is chilled:

The filling is also very simple to make. Trim the dark green from the leek and slice it. Make sure to rinse the sliced leek because they can have a lot of dirt sometimes.

Now cook the leeks:

In a separate bowl mix the other part of the filling:

Mix the cooked leeks with the cream mixture and pour it into the pre-baled crust:

Top it with gruyere cheese:

And bake until puffed up and golden brown!!

Leek Quiche

Dough recipe from Smitten Kitchen. Filling recipe adapted from Julia Child.

Ingredients:

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
2 to 3 tablespoons of ice water

Filling
3 large leeks (trimmed: white and light green parts only), sliced and rinsed
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
zest from half of a lemon
1/4 cup gruyere cheese, shredded

Directions:

For crust:
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, salt and sugar until combined. Add cold butter and pulse again until butter is pea size.  With the machine running, slowly add ice water through the the feed tube. The dough will start to hold together. To test it, squeeze a small amount of dough, if is still too crumbly, add a little more ice water. Transfer dough to a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Then use a rolling pin to form a disk with the dough. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

To par-bake the crust, roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface with the help of a rolling pin. The dough should be round (2 inches larger all around than your quiche pan). Transfer dough to quiche pan and use your fingers to lightly press dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork at 1/2 inch intervals.

Line pastry with foil or parchment paper and fill it with pie weights (or uncooked rice or beans). Bake crust in a preheated 400F oven for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove foil and pie weights and bake for 2 or 3 minutes more. Crust is ready when it starts to color and begins to shrink from the sides of the pan. Set pre-baked crust aside.

For Filling:
Put leeks, water, butter, and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until all liquid has evaporated and leeks are very tender - 20 to 30 minutes. Set it aside.

In a large bowl whisk together eggs, cream, milk, nutmeg, pepper, and lemon zest just until well combined. Stir in the leeks.

To finalize quiche: Preheat oven to 375F. Place oven rack on upper third position. Fill par-baked crust with the filling. Top it with the cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until puffed and golden brown.