I promised I would cook for a certain someone, only one of my best friends who had surgery a few weeks ago, whom I have known since I was seven and I am supposed to leave in 10 minutes and I haven’t made a piece of toast for her even. Her daughter had requested quiche which surprised me since I haven’t really thought about quiche for about 20 years, but I think if someone under 18 asks for a food item, it’s on the way back.
For the crust make the classic French:
1 cup of all purpose flour, a few pinches of salt, a few pinches of sugar, and 7 tablespoons of very cold butter cut into bits, and then rubbed with your fingertips into the dry ingredients until there are some pieces that are a little bigger than others, but all the flour has been incorporated. Sprinkle a few drops of ice water over the dough, just enough to bring it together, maybe 2 tablespoons total. It depends on the weather and the flour. Refrigerate for at least an hour in a flat disc shape, wrapped with wax paper.
Lay a piece of parchment over the dough once it has been rolled out into a pie pan, and fill with dried beans.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment and the beans and bake for another five minutes or until just beginning to go golden.
For the filling, clean, chop and saute two leeks in butter with a little salt and a sprig of thyme over low heat until completely soft. It should be so delicious that it is hard not to eat it before it goes into quiche.
Grate a 1/3 pound of gruyere on the side of the grater with the large holes.
Mix 3 eggs with 1 1/2 cups of cream, (or half and half if you can find organic or 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup of heavy cream) a few pinches of salt to taste, a tiny grate of nutmeg, a grind of black pepper. Layer in the leeks and cheese, and then carefully pour in enough filling to come nearly to the top of the pastry. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake until just set.
Serve with a salad of bitter greens, fennel, pear, toasted walnuts and currants.
PS you can make this in lasagna pan as well if you are serving crowds. The trick is to be sure there are no holes in the crust. If you are a person who panics, you can always make the crust in one pie pan, and grease another pie pan, line the bottom with parchment, pour the filling in there, and when it is done, just slide it out onto the crust.
PPS The half and half that we have here that is not organic has such a processed taste that it is much better to use organic milk and heavy cream instead. Yes I am a milk snob.