Recipe of the Week: Quiche with Mushrooms, Bacon and Asparagus
Great for a weekend brunch or a light lunch. I love the combination of these ingredients, but a quiche is so versatile can be made with any vegetable, shellfish, meat or cheese. Serves eight. (Chef tip: Work the pie crust dough very delicately to keep it tender and flaky.)
PIE CRUST:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
8 ounces chilled unsalted butter, cut into a cubes
About 1/4 cup of ice cold water
QUICHE BATTER:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
6 large eggs
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
QUICHE FILLING:
1 pound good quality smoked bacon, cut into lardons (strips)
1 small Spanish onion, diced
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
1 pound brown mushrooms, sliced
1/4 pound asparagus, blanched and cut into small pieces
1 cup freshly Gruyere cheese, grated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor or mixer, process to combine. Add butter, process until butter is incorporated, add enough water to form a dough, do not over mix.
Shape the dough into a disc and refrigerate overnight or at least for a couple of hours. Dough can also be frozen. Roll the dough into a thick about 14-inch disc on a lightly floured surface. Lift the dough and place into quiche pan or spring form pan. Check to make sure there are no holes showing in the crust, if there are any, take some dough scraps and patch them.
Chill the dough for about 20 minutes, place aluminum foil or parchment paper, pie weights or beans, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, at 375°F, remove weights and parchment paper and bake another 20 minutes. Chill.
Place eggs in a blender or food processor bowl, add salt, heat milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until scalded. Start blending eggs; slowly add milk and cream mixture, process for few minutes.
Melt butter in a pan, add sliced onions, and mushrooms and pinch of salt , cover and sweat for about 10 minutes or so, uncover pan and let it cook for another 10 minutes until completely soft and dry, and no color showing. Cool. In a frying pan start to cook bacon slowly until the fat starts to render, but not completely crisp and dry.
Place about 1/3 of onion mushroom mixture and bacon and cheese and cut asparagus mixture into a pre-baked spring form shell or quiche pan at least 9 wide and 2 high (no pie shells please), pour some batter, repeat two more times.
Place quiche onto baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about one hour or until quiche is set. Cool. Slice into wedges, serve.