simple leek and gruyere quiche

keep surprising yourself

I kept making mistakes and was so close to giving it up. I undercooked my crust and overcooked my filling. So do as I say and not as I do in this recipe. You’ll be generously rewarded. But the end result was still more than salvageable and actually really delicious. The failed idea of my quiche couldn’t hold a candle to the real thing.

“Ain’t that just the way?” - Gregory

But really, how often are you ready to throw something away because your vision didn’t align with the final product? Or maybe you made too many mistakes along the way and discounted any chance of their being a worthy result. I’m plenty guilty of this. Tunnel vision is fine in moderation but keeps me from taking stock of all my successful side quests that led me to be where I am.

A year ago I didn’t have the privilege of foresight for today and had no idea what was coming. I thought I knew and placed minor stock in safety and security but when those didn’t pan out my risks started to look like handsome bedfellows. Whether they be little or big, you will make mistakes. Maybe nothing that bad will come of the big ones and maybe something great will come from the little ones.

So enjoy your mistakes while you can.

Special equipment needed:

food processor

9 inch tart pan with removable bottle

crust

1.5 cups AP flour

1.5 tsp kosher salt

8 tbsp cubed cold butter

8-10 tbsp ice water

filling

6 eggs, beaten and strained through a fine mesh sieve

2 tbsp butter

2 cups chopped leeks (about 1 medium leek) cleaned of any dirt

1 cup chopped scallions, whites and greens separated

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 cup grated gruyere

1/2 cub creme fraiche

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

salt and pepper

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In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, salt, and cubed butter (let the butter hangout in the freezer for 10 minutes beforehand) and pulse to combine. Until the butter is no larger than a pea. In the feed tube, begin adding the ice water, pulsing in between additions (do not let it run constantly) little by little until the mixture can hold together. I used about 8 tbsp but you may need more.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and form and shape into a compact disk without kneading. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hour. Up to 24 hours.

To make the quiche filling, in a medium skillet, add butter and heat over medium high heat until melted. Add leeks and scallion whites with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Sauté until the leeks and scallions are softened and lightly caramelized. About 10-12 minutes. Add thyme in the last minute or so of cooking so as not to dull the flavor too much. Add to a large bowl along with creme fraîche, gruyere, nutmeg, salt and pepper (a tsp each maybe?), beaten eggs and whisk until combined fully. Set aside while you prepare your crust. Mixture can be refrigerated for a few hours.

Remove crust dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, begin gently rolling it evenly from the center out until the dough is about 1/4” inch thick. Try to make sure the dough stays in a rough circle when rolling it out. Use flour a little at a time as necessary to avoid sticking. Roll the dough to a 12-inch wide circle. Ideally you should see little chunks of butter in the rolled out dough.

Carefully drape the dough over the tart pan, pressing into the edges of the pan and fixing any rips or tears along the way. Trip the overhang but leave about an inch left over the rip. Now fold the 1-inch of overhanging dough backwards and seal it to form a rim. Find a video on youtube to show you how to crimp with your fingers. I can’t really explain it well. But it doesn’t have to look perfect.

Using a fork, gently poke tiny holes into into the bottle of the crust. Freeze for 20 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the crust from the freezer. Crumble a piece of parchment paper, uncrumble it and place it on the crust. Fill with rice, sugar, or pie weights to weigh it down. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, remove the pie weights and lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Until the crust is golden brown. It’s ok if it puffs during baking, it will settle back down when it cools. Keep the oven at 350 degrees.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. Pour the quiche filling into the crust (do not overfill) and place back in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes. Check on the quiche at 20 minutes, the center should have the slightest jiggle when it’s ready to come out. Do not overcook it but if you do, it’s all good.

Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

*Quiche can be kept for 3 days in the fridge and reheated in a 250 degree oven for 10 minutes.

You’re the best,

Peyton