Parenthood has been a crazy adventure and a wonderful path that I absolutely love. My sweet little Elena turned 2 months old yesterday. I was looking over some pictures and videos that we took in the past couple months and part of me is still amazed that she's my daughter. She's been awesome in every way and finally sleeping longer periods of time at night (more than 4 hours). Which in turn, gives myself more time to sleep and spend more time cooking in the kitchen.
Elena gave me ample time to prepare this dish and happily played in her jungle mat while I prepared this meal. The hardest part is the prep work which is chopping the vegetables and quickly cooking them which takes only a few minutes. I do prefer making my own pastry crust, but buying a store-bought one saves you time. This easy to prepare recipe could be considered breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on your mood. Pair it with a simple green salad, and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to complete the meal.
Simply fantastic.
ZipList Add Recipe
Adapted from Joy the Baker
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup leeks, thinly sliced from the whites to the pale green flesh
1 cup asparagus, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1/2 cup sliced ham, chopped into pieces
1 bell pepper, diced finely
1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from a 17 1/4 package), thawed but still cold
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven.
In a medium saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil and leeks. Saute leeks until slightly tender and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper and asparagus rounds and cook until bright green, about 3 minutes. *Vegetables do not need to be cooked all the way through, they will cook more in the oven.* Remove pan from heat and set aside.
On a lightly floured work area, unfold the puff pastry. Place flour on the the rolling pin and gently roll the puff pastry, extending the dough about 1/2 inch thick on all sides. Place and fit the dough onto a 10-inch pie pan. Using a paring knife, remove excess puff pastry, making sure that enough dough hangs over the sides. Place in fridge while you assemble the filling.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, salt and nutmeg. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese and the ham.
When ready to bake the quiche, remove the pie plate from the fridge and fill with the cooked vegetables. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables, and top with the remaining 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese and the pepper.
Place pie pan on a baking sheet or jelly sheet pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Quiche will puff up in the oven when done. It will sink down again once cooled. Let quiche rest for 1 hour before serving. Serve warm or cool. Quiche will last, well wrapped in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yield: 1 10-inch quiche
Dear my sweet Elena, these have been the best 2 months ever. It's amazing how much love we have for you and we love watching you grow before our eyes. Papi and I feel very lucky to have you in our lives.
