Asparagus, Leek, and Gruyère Quiche
In honor of yesterday and today’s gorgeous spring weather, I thought I’d share a dish that is the essence of spring and perfect for a weekend brunch. (Hey, we’re halfway through the week!)
If there is a more perfect veggie quiche than Martha Stewart’s Asparagus, Leek, and Gruyère Quiche, I haven’t found it. This quiche is creamy, savory, and super simple to assemble. I highly recommend her all-butter crust, too. Honestly, I tend to prefer doughs made of both butter and lard for optimal taste and flakiness, but her dough results in a pure butter, yet oh-so-flaky crust. And the salt. Oh, the salt! Little flakes that dance on the tip of your tongue. Total happiness, I tell you. But back to the quiche.
You can actually assemble the quiche in stages. I definitely recommend making the dough in a food processor the day before (hello, time saver!) and then putting together the other ingredients the next day. The asparagus and leeks get sautéed in a pat of butter for about eight minutes until the former are crisp-tender. At this point, I take the dough out of the fridge so it softens enough to roll. While the filling cools, I like to whip together the eggs, half and half, and spices.
And, if you’re not confident in your ability to move the quiche into the oven without sloshing the contents all over (like me!), my mom recommends pouring the egg mixture over the top once the quiche plate and baking tray are already settled in the oven. As always, she’s right.
X
Asparagus, Leek, and Gruyère Quiche
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 leek (white and light green parts), halved and thinly sliced, then well washed
Salt and pepper
1 pound asparagus, woody ends removed, then thinly sliced on the diagonal
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups half-and-half
Nutmeg
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (4 ounces)
Directions:
Put together pie crust using a food processor (recipe linked in the ingredients section above!) and store in fridge overnight. Like I said, I prefer to do this the day before so I can get right to making the quiche when I’m ready for it instead of waiting for the dough to chill the day of.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a baking rack in the lowest position. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and then add the leeks and asparagus, turning to coat in the butter. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Stir the mixture occasionally, just until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat and let the mixture cool.
Meanwhile, roll the dough out and fit into a fluted pie pan.*
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Place the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet (this will protect your oven from any spills!) and sprinkle with cheese, then add the asparagus mixture. Finally, move the baking sheet to the lowest rack in your oven, and quickly—so the heat doesn’t totally escape the oven—pour the egg mixture over the top. Bake until the quiche is set, about 50 to 60 minutes. Be sure to rotate the pan halfway through to ensure an even bake.
Once the quiche is done, let it sit in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before serving.
*NOTE: I find it’s easiest to roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper. Once the dough is flat, peel one piece of paper off and transfer the dough to the pan with the other piece of wax paper intact. Gently remove the wax paper completely and press the dough into the pan.
