Leek, Bacon, and Mushroom Quiche

Last night around 10 pm, I remembered that I had invited a friend over for lunch……uh oh. I had completely forgotten, and didn’t have anything in mind or ready to prepare. So I looked in my fridge and pantry……and voila! I love that you can make a Quiche out of basically anything. Just as long as you have the mains, which are flour, eggs, cream and cheese, it doesn’t matter what the fillings are. I think that it’s versatility has made it a mainstay in my house!. So these were the ingredients I had in my pantry and fridge, but feel free to swap any of the ingredients for the ones you have on hand.

So here’s what you’re going to need:

For the crust:

250g all-purpose flour

150g butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tbsp cold milk

For the filling:

1 leek, halved and thinly sliced

2 slices bacon, julienned

1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained

1 egg

3 egg yolks

300ml heavy cream

1 1/2 cups Emmenthal (swiss cheese), grated

1 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

pinch of nutmeg

In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, and butter, mix with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse sand. Add the egg and milk, and mix with your hands until it forms a ball. Flatten it with your hand into a disk, and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the filling. Saute the leeks and bacon together over low heat for about 10 minutes until soft and bacon is cooked but not crispy. Let cool. In a large bowl, mix the cream, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the leek mixture, and half of the grated cheese. Mix well and set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 190C (375F), take dough out of the fridge and place on a counter dusted with flour. Roll out the dough into a disk that is about 2mm thick. Place in a buttered tart or springform pan, cover with plastic and refrigerate for another 20 minutes.

Take the dough out, and with a fork pinch all over. Cover with parchment paper and place pie weights or beans in the pan. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 170C (350F) and remove the parchment and pie weights, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Take out of the oven, and sprinkle the remaining cheese onto the bottom of the crust, and then add the filling mixture. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until it is set but still has a slight wobble. Let cool on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with a green salad and basic vinaigrette!

From my kitchen to yours,

Carla