Finesse your culinary game with this decadent goat cheese quiche
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Your guests are sure to be impressed with this delicious quiche filled with leeks, thyme and creamy goat cheese!
Ingredients for crust
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces/
½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
½ cup ice
Instructions
Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.
Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.
With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).
Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or small bowl.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.
Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.
Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.
Ingredients for leek, thyme and cheese filling:
1 tablespoon butter
2 leeks, white and light green parts only (~ 3 cups diced)
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups spinach
4 large eggs
2/3 cup non-dairy milk
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, leaves picked
Pinch of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 ounces goat cheese (~ 6 tablespoons)
Instructions:
In a frying pan, toast sunflower seeds over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir regularly to prevent burning. When seeds are fragrant and slightly toasted, remove from heat.
In a food processor, blend oats until the texture of coarse sand. Add sunflower seeds and salt and blend until the seeds are also a crumb-like texture. This should only take 30 seconds - 1 minute. Add the chilled butter / coconut oil and pulse until well incorporated.
Empty the mixture into a bowl. Using your hands, mix in the ice cold water until a ball of dough forms. This dough will feel quite sticky. This is normal. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place into the back of your freezer for about 15 minutes.
While the dough chills, preheat oven to 375°F. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add butter, leeks and garlic. Sautè for 5 minutes, until soft. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat.
Remove dough from freezer and press it into prepared 9-inch pie pan. Aim for an even distribution of dough throughout the pan, pressing the dough together firmly to create a solid base. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the crust thoroughly to allow air to escape when baking. Aim to prick the crust ~15 times with even coverage across the crust. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Set aside once baked. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in the leek and spinach mixture. Add the crumbled goat cheese and stir until just combined. Pour egg mixture into the prepared shell. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the middle of the tart has set. Allow to cool before removing from pan.
