This week we did a review of the book, Pie* by Genevieve Taylor. We couldn’t review the book properly without recreating one of the recipes within, now could we?
It’s currently ramson season – ramsons are also known as wild garlic – so we thought we’d try a timely dish. Blue cheese, leek and wild garlic quiche. Delicious hot, warm or cold with a little side salad of rocket, spinach and watercress.
*We have a copy of Pie to give away (sorry, UK only). Entry below the recipe*
Wild garlic, leek and blue cheese quiche
Ingredients
- For the pastry
- 180 g plain flour
- pinch salt
- 90 g cold butter cut into small cubes
- 3-4 tbs ice-cold water
- For the filling
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 leeks washed & sliced
- 150 g about 4 handfuls wild garlic
- 200 g crème fraîche
- 2 eggs
- 100 g blue cheese I used Dolcelatte but Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola etc would work just as well
- salt & ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sift the flour & salt together into a medium-sized mixing bowl
- Add the cubed butter and use your fingertips and thumbs to rub the ingredients together until you have coarse crumbs
- Lift your hands out of the bowl as you rub to add air
- Add just enough cold water to bring the mixture together into clumps
- Tip the clumped crumbs on to a sheet of cling film and squeeze gently into a ball
- Wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºF/Gas mark 6
- Roll out the pastry and carefully line a quiche dish
- Bake blind for 10 minutes
- Put the olive oil into a large, deep frying pan set over a low heat and heat gently, then stir in the leeks
- Scrunch up a sheet of greaseproof paper and briefly rinse it under running water
- Shake off the excess water, then lay the dampened paper over the leeks, tucking it under snugly at the edges. This creates a steamy lid that will help the leeks soften without colouring
- Sweat the leeks gently for around 15 minutes or until they are soft and tender, lifting the paper to stir occasionally
- In a colander, rinse the wild garlic under a cold running tap
- Drain well, chop roughly and add to the leeks. Re-cover loosely with the paper and cook for a further 5-8 minutes or until the garlic has wilted
- Remove from the heat, discard the paper and spoon the softened filling into the pastry tart case and spread evenly. Set aside
- In a jug, whisk together the crème fraîche and eggs, seasoning well with salt & ground black pepper
- Slowly pour into the pastry tart case, allowing it to find its own level among the vegetables
- Cut the cheese into cubes and scatter over the quiche
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is just set
- Carefully remove the quiche from the dish to a serving plate or wooden board
