The first time I tasted quiche was in the first apartment I ever rented in Tel Aviv. We were 3 roommates in our early 20’s. To this day, I can’t explain why we chose a 30 something woman that just came back after living quite some time in Canada to take the place of the roommate that left. Back then, mid 30’s seemed to us as one leg in the coffin.Until (let’s call her Rachel, I can’t seem to remember her real name) Rachel arrived, our refrigerator was nearly always empty. On a good day you could find tasteless slices of yellow cheese in the cheese shelf. The highlight of our culinary creation was pasta with tomato paste and some spices. You can imagine the shock i had when i opened the refrigerator a few days later. For a minute i thought i was in a wrong kitchen. The refrigerator was packed with cheeses that i couldn’t even pronounce their names, exotic fruits and vegetables, and all kinds of different packages with foods I had never known existed. For dinner that night, Rachel treated us with a homemade pastry. Quiche. For us, the two youngsters, it was as if we stepped into a new world of flavors. Unfortunately, this heaven didn’t last long. The “old lady” didn’t approve the revolving door policy of the two young ones who she shared an apartment with; after a few month she left. Nonetheless, those few months rocked our culinary world.
Ingredients
Dough
2 cups flour
1 ¾ sticks cold butter cut to small pieces
1 egg
½ tsp salt
1-2 TBS cold water
Filling
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only, from 3 leeks
2 shallot onions diced
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme,
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1 ½ cups pecorino cheese grated
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Place flour and cold butter in a food processor bowl with plastic blade. Pulse until mixture turns to small crumbs. Add egg salt and mix only until dough is formed. If needed add cold water one TBS at a time. Make a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Heat olive oil in a non stick pan to medium high heat. Add shallot and leek mix. Add thyme, mix and cook until tender. Set aside to cool.
In a big bowl whisk the eggs well, add heavy cream and whisk to combine. Add cheese and spices and mix well. Add the leek and mix.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll from the center outward to a disk ¼ inch thick. Roll the dough on the rolling pin, and carefully unroll over a 10 inch quiche pan. Gently fit dough into bottom and sides of the pan, trim extra dough. You can poke the dough with a fork. pour the filling mixture into the dough and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool 15 minute before serving.
