Quiche with asparagus

Quiche with asparagus
Yield: 8 servings, 1 slice each

Ingredients:
1 recipe French Tart Dough (see note below)
1/2 lb or 8 oz asparagus, which is about 10-12 whole spears
6-8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Emmentaler or Swiss shredded
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Directions:
1. Prepare the tart dough for a 9" round pie plate or pan.  See note below. This can be done 1 day ahead of time.
2. Preheat the oven to 350º F or 180º C.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add the asparagus whole and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Remove the asparagus from the boiling water and place under cold water or plunge the spears into ice water to blanch them and stop them from cooking any further. When cool enough to handle cut them in half in the middle, and then split them down the center so that the halves can lie on top of the quiche.
5. Put all the eggs in a large mixing bowl, add the milk, and beat together until well incorporated.
6. Add the shredded cheese to the eggs, and season with salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Pour the quiche batter on top of the prepped tart dough.
8. Carefully arrange the asparagus halves on top. Bake the quiche for 40 minutes until lightly golden on top and cooked through. Allow to cool and set about 30 minutes before serving. This quiche pairs nicely with a small side salad.

Note:
This French tart dough recipe is one of my favorites. The instructions, comments, and pictures are superbly presented so I have opted out of recreating it here.  The recipe from the link is good for an 8" or 9" pan, but anything larger than that and you will find that the dough doesn't quite make it up the sides. To me this method of tart dough is much easier to prepare than pie dough, and much more forgiving if learning for the first time. The method is to place all of the tart dough ingredients (except the flour) into the oven until the mixture becomes piping hot. Then flour is stirred into the hot mixture and the entire thing transforms itself into a dough ball that can easily be placed into a pie plate or fluted pan.

Autumn quiche

This quiche, baked up from seasonal CSA kale and escarole, was among some of the better things I baked up this past fall, hence the name autumn quiche. If you don't bake the quiche, at least tuck the French tart dough recipe into your web archives. It is that good.















Autumn Quiche
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 recipe French Tart Dough
olive oil
6 large eggs
splash milk
3 cups chopped raw kale and raw escarole
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
3 tbsp kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, or a goat cheese would be very good)
1/4 cup chopped basil
2-3 spring onions, chopped fine
salt and pepper to taste
pinch nutmeg

Directions:
1. Prep the tart dough. Allow it to cool before using. This tart dough is one of the best out there. I have used it to make lemon tarts, chocolate tarts, almond-pear tarts, and now quiches. It never fails. It's simple, it's easy, it's my favorite.
2. Once your quiche (tart dough) is cooling, heat up about 1 tsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Once it's hot sauté the kale, escarole, and garlic in the olive oil. Add a few tbsp of water to the pan if the greens start to stick.
3. Turn the eat to low and let it wilt down. Turn the heat off and set aside.
4. Prep the oven to 350º F or 180º C.
5. In a small bowl, combine the chopped olives, shredded cheese, and herbs.
6. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and milk with a whisk. Add the remaining ingredients to the egg mixture and season with salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Add the egg mixture to the quiche dough, and bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until done. Let stand about 1 hour before serving. Stores well and makes excellent leftover lunch where you can brag to coworkers about how the escarole melts into the quiche.