This quiche is heavanly.  Flaky, buttery crust and creamy custard filling.  I have provided the custard recipe for leeks and chevre here, but you can still use the same custard recipe and switch out the leeks and goat cheese with other classic fillings like broccoli, bacon and cheddar.  The recipe looks really long because it provides detailed instructions on how to handle the pastry to create the most flaky shell possible.  Follow it to a T and you can’t go wrong!

Chef’s tip: Make sure that when you handle the dough, everything is chilled cold — from the bowl to the ingredients.  And remember, the less you work the dough, the flakier it will be.  Refrain from kneading, or overpulsing the dough.  The flakes of butter that you see in the dough melts creating air space between the pastry, hence the flakiness.

Other tips:  To press the dough to the side of a pan, take a piece of remnant dough, wrap it with some clear wrap and use it instead of your fingers.  In addition, to easily grab the parchment at the end, when cutting out the round parchment, leave a little tab so that you can grab it from the side.

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
82 ml cold water
250 grams pastry flour, chilled
165 grams unsalted butter, chilled

10-inch, 2 inch height quiche pan with removable bottom

To make the pastry dough:
1. Dissolve salt in water, and pop it back into the freezer to keep cold.
2. In a food processor, add the chilled flour, cut the butter into large dice and place on top of the flour.
3. Pulse several times until breadcrumbs form.  You should still have some butter pieces the size of peas.
4. Add the salt water mixture, pulse once or twice until the dough JUST begins to come together and forms a ball but not completely smooth.  Again, do not overwork the dough.
5. Line a clean surface with plastic wrap.  Pour the pastry dough onto the plastic wrap.  Gently push together and form a disc about 1 inch thick.  The dough should have a marbled look to it, with streaks of yellow butter.  Place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.
Baking the pastry shell:
6. Remove dough from fridge.  Lightly dust a pastry cloth with flour and a rolling pin cover.  Place the dough on the pastry cloth and roll it out till the dough is about 1/4 inch thick.  Remember to lift and rotate 90 degrees per several rolls to ensure the dough does not stick and the gluten is not overworked in any one directions.  Never stretch the dough.
7. Butter a 10-inch quiche pan with a removable bottom.  Line the bottom with a round piece of parchment.
8. Gently transfer the dough to line the pan, folding the dough over on your rolling pin, and transferring the dough over the pan.  Gently press dough to meet all the sides of the pan.  Do not stretch the dough under any circumstances.  Using a sharp knife, trim off any overhang.
9. Pop the dough back in the refrigerator for an hour, to rest, as well as to chill the dough.
10. Preheat oven 375F.  Line the dough with some parchment paper, pour in some pie weights and bake 25 minutes.  Remove parchment and weights and bake another 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool before filling.

2 leeks, sliced thinly
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled into large pieces
3/4 cup gruyere, grated

To make the leeks:
1. Saute leeks with butter and salt until soft and the moisture has dried off.  Coll.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and cream.
3. In a large bowls, whisk flour with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Add a little bit of egg mixture and whisk to combine.  Slowly add remaining mixture.  Add in chopped thyme.
To assemble the quiche:
4. In a cool, baked shell, scatter the leeks and goat cheese.  Pour in the custard till it comes to about 1/2 inch from the rim.  Reserve remaining custard.
5. Top with gruyere, reserving a tablespoon.
6. Transfer to a 360F oven.  Make a small hole in the middle, pour in the remaining custard till it comes to the top of the rim.  Cover with reserved gruyere.  Bake 40 minutes or until the quiche is no longer jelly in the middle when you shake it.
7. Remove from oven and let it set in the pan for 10 minutes.
8. Place the quiche pan on an inverted bowl, and gently remove the ring.  Using the bottom as support, transfer to a flat plate.  Look for the tab on the parchment and slide a flat edge offset spatula between the parchment and base of the quiche, then pull out the pan bottom with parchment.

Serves: 8 (10 inch pie)

Tags: brunch, Californian, Vegetarian.

Autumn’s take on the lasagna.  Layers of butternut squash and ricotta.

Chef’s tip:  If you’d like, make a crunchy gratin by mixing some crushed amaretti with the Monterey Jack cheese.

1 medium butternut squash

4 Tablespoons butter
1 shallot, diced fine
4 Tablespoons AP flour
2 cups milk, warmed
10 pieces sage, chiffonade
1 cup vegetable stock
3 Tablespoons sherry
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground

2 cups ricotta
2 cups Monterey Jack, reserve 1/2 cup
1/2 packet/ 8 oz egg spring roll skins

1/2 cup Parmesan

Preparing the butternut squash mash:
1.  Preheat oven 375F.  Cut squash into 2 lengthwise, remove seeds.  Oil a baking sheet, place squash with cut side down.  Bake until tender about 25 minutes.
2. Remove from oven, let cool, and scrape out flesh.  Mash with a fork if needed.
Preparing the sauce:
3.  Melt butter and saute the diced shallots till soft, about 2 minutes.  Add flour and stir vigorously for 3 minutes.  Slowly add in the warm milk, while whisking and incorporate till a thick sauce forms.  Add sage, stock and sherry and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
Assembling the lasagna:
4. Butter a 8X8 lasagna dish.  Ladle on some sauce, line with a spring roll skin, followed by the squash mash.  Cover with another layer of springroll skin, followed by more sauce, a layer of ricotta and a sprinkle of Monterey Jack.  Repeat till the ingredients are all used.  Finish with a thick layer of reserved Montery Jack and Parmesan on top.
5. Bake in oven 375F for about 40 minutes, until top is golden.

Serves: 6

Tags: Californian, Pasta.

Even though we are in October and technically in the fall, we still find lots of summer squashes in the market.  I like using a combination of the yellow crooked squash with zucchini in this deliciously light pasta.  You can whip up this meal in the same time in takes to boil the pasta.

Chef’s tip: To chiffonade basil, stack the leaves.  Roll tightly into a compact cylinder.  Using a sharp knife, slice thinly horizontally across the roll.  Fluff up the basil.

Ingredients:
8 oz dried spaghetti
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 yellow squash, grated coarse
1 medium zucchini, grated coarse
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/2 cup basil, chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon long pepper, freshly ground

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add pasta and cook till el dente, about 12 minutes or according to package instructions.  Drain pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.
2.  While pasta is boiling, grate squashes.  Chiffonade basil.
3.  Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, when the oil begins to ripple, add garlic, saute until light golden, about 1 minute.
4. Add the grated squash and zucchini and suate until limp, about 2 minutes.  Layer on salt as you cook.
5. Add back the pasta.  Remove from heat.  Toss to mix.  Add in some of the reserved pasta water if needed to make the pasta strands easier to mix.
6.  Toss in feta, half the basil and the long pepper.  Toss lightly and serve.  Garnish with remaining basil.

Serves: 4

Tags: Califonina, Pasta, Vegetarian.