Asparagus and Leek Spring Quiche

Happy Monday! And it really will be, I promise you, because we have a fabulous guest writer who is sharing a recipe that looks OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious! The best part? I think that even *I* can make this. Really! Let’s give a warm welcome to Carlee!

With spring in full swing, a grocery store full of lovely asparagus and a French May Day tradition, I thought it only proper to celebrate this season with a twist on the quintessential quiche. It’s customary in France to welcome the summer and celebrate the spring on May 1st by ladies circling May poles cascading with ribbons, bestowing kisses and flowers for luck and serving a banquet of spring’s bounty, at its heart is the quiche Lorraine. This classic quiche consists of smoky bacon baked in an egg custard encrusted by flaky pastry. My version of this quiche combines fresh asparagus and leeks, a crunchy almond pastry crust with a clean lemony, parmesan salad on top to bring all the flavors bright and happy together in perfect Spring Fling harmony. Open up windows, let in fresh air, even dance around a pole or two all while anticipating how incredible this quiche is right out of the oven.

Bon Appétit!

Asparagus & Leek Spring Quiche

Serves 4 people Total time including prep & cook: 45 minutes

Almond pastry crust: ( I used a 9 inch shallow French tart pan with a removable bottom)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

¾ cup almond flour

6 oz. cold butter, diced

1 egg yolk + 3 teaspoons cold water, beaten

Pinch of salt

Asparagus & leek filling:

1 cup small diced asparagus

⅓ cup small diced leeks

3 eggs

1 cup milk or cream or half and half

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of pepper

Smidgen of freshly grated nutmeg

Bright, Happy Topper Salad:

1 bag mixed greens

1 cup of basil leaves torn in large pieces

Several shards of shaved parmesan

A few swirls of grapeseed oil

Juice from half a lemon

Pinch of salt

To make an almond pastry crust is simple, quick, and much like creating a graham cracker crust. If you haven’t done that either, well, this could be really difficult. Ha, of course I’m teasing you, it’s easy no matter what your skill level; but a tool in your kitchen that does make light work for busy ladies is the food processor. So grab yours or borrow from a friend and tell your husband you want one for your next holiday!

Start with 2 cups of almonds and pulse away until they resemble fine crumbs with a few crunchy almond bits for texture. Set aside ¾ cup for the pastry and add the remainder to your next batch of chocolate chip cookies replacing an equal amount of regular flour, it will be amazing, trust me.

Combine in the food processor whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour and cold, cubed butter bits; give them a few good spins to incorporate the butter until it looks like fine crumbs, then add the egg/water mixture and pulse until the dough just comes together. If doing this by hand which feels fantastically domestic, cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender, knives or just use your hands; when it has reached a flakey stage, gently rub the mixture until it looks like fine crumbs.

Now, create a mound with a low center and pour the egg/water mixture in the center. Using a fork, scramble, if you will, the flour into the egg and water working from the inside to the outside. You want to work the liquid through everything until it comes together when pinched; you may use your hands for this as well. I had to use 4 teaspoons of water on the day I made this quiche because of the dryness in the air, so you may need to add another teaspoon or two until it comes together. Use your best judgment. Shape it into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and let the gluten rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. While the pastry crust is snoozing in the fridge, preheat the oven to 400°F and prep the filling ingredients.

*If you’re clever, and I know you are and have time, prep the salad ingredients now as well.

Wash and dice the asparagus and leek into small edible pieces.

Quickly blanch the asparagus pieces before adding them with the leeks.

Mix together in a separate bowl the egg, milk, and seasonings. Set aside.

Grab the pastry from the fridge, set it out on an ever- so- lightly floured board to roll out to ¼ inch thickness. Try not to be frustrated or throw your rolling pin at me, this pastry is going to be crumbly, it’s supposed to be; it’s going to add a marvelous crunch to our otherwise smooth quiche filling. So, just go with the flow and let it crack here and there, the important thing is get the thickness the same so it will bake evenly in the oven. Once it is rolled out, take small pieces and press them into the tart pan trying to create a cohesive crust. Work up the sides and press, press, press. Firm up that crust!

Now relax, if there was any “hard work” to be done for this quiche, that was it.

We are now going to blind bake our shell. Place aluminum foil inside your pie shape and pour ceramic pie weights or beans or metal washers, a new metal bike chain or whatever it is you use to weigh down your pie shells. Bake for 10 minutes, removing the weights half way through. Lower the oven heat to 350°F.

Layer your asparagus and leeks along the bottom of the pastry shell, pour in the egg and milk mixture, pop it back into the oven for 30 minutes, checking at 25 minutes for done-ness. It is done when the very center of the quiche wiggles slightly when jiggled, but the edges are firm. Remove it from the oven to finish baking as it cools.

The final step is pulling the salad together. You may be tempted to ignore this garnish but, seriously, it makes the quiche perfect. By that I mean, perfectly balanced with an intrigue of epicurean pleasure. Just serving the quiche alone is fine, but why not have it be mind-blowingly spectacular?! I don’t want to hype it up too much, but believe me, it works.

So, let’s see here, simple salad, simple salad bowl – mix the greens, basil, and parmesan with a light coating of grapeseed oil, squeeze fresh lemon juice on top with a dash of salt and gently toss using your fingers for the lightest touch.

When you are ready to serve, layer a triangle piece of spring quiche with a heaping hummock of salad on top and with your best French accent say to your guests, “ Bon Appétit! You may eat!”

Chef’s tip: If you have a beautiful fluted quiche dish and would like to make a thicker or, rather, deeper quiche, you may double the filling ingredients and the almond pastry ingredients. Just be light handed when it comes to doubling the salt. Roll out the pie dough to ½ inch thick. There will probably be some left over when you are finished pressing and shaping the edges, no big deal – at least you had enough. Just watch your time on the blind baking, use your instincts to make sure the base is cooked before you add the filling, nothing worse than a soggy crust. You will need to add time to the blind baking and the overall baking, like 15-20 minutes more. If the edges are getting too brown before the custard is done, cover the edges with strips of aluminum. Again, use your nose, use your eyes and trust your gut to know when it’s ready.

Enjoy!