Berry Goats Gruff Quiche

On a whim last year, I bought two strawberry plants and put them in pots on my deck. They yielded a few rather anemic-looking berries and then simply went crazy and started spreading their runners all over the deck. Being the lazy gardener that I am, I didn't bother to pull them out over the winter. I figured they would die off and I would rip them out this spring to make way for plants that gave me a healthier harvest. Well those plants sure fooled me. They slept peacefully under their snowy blankets, woke up this spring and have started producing big old juicy berries.
My absolute favorite way to eat strawberries is to slice them, sprinkle them with a little sugar and drown them in some cream. My mom introduced me to this simple spring pleasure when I was little, and I've loved it ever since. But after eating an egg white and strawberry omelet at Sabrina's Cafe, I was inspired to come up with a savory application for these delicious little harbingers of spring. I began to fantasize about flavor combinations...

(Okay, you got me. I had to supplement my garden-grown strawberries with some farmer's market berries. Yay for the farmer's markets re-opening!!!!)

Wondering about the title of this recipe? I ran into some recipe-writers block trying to think of a clever name for this quiche of mine. Recipe titles are tough sometimes! You want to be descriptive without listing every single ingredient, but this is harder than it sounds, especially when you're using usual combinations of ingredients like this quiche does. As I was sitting in my office, puzzling this challenge, the amazing and funny Alex Bechtel blurted out "Berry Goats Gruff... Quiche!". Who am I to argue with this stroke of genius? A recipe title was born.

This quiche is perfect for those warm spring days when you want something filling but don't really have the stomach for a full hot meal. It's a great on-the-go meal too, as quiches are best served room temperature. Perfect for those spring picnics!

I've included a recipe for the crust, but of course you can feel free to cheat and buy a pre-made crust. This crust recipe is courtesy of the amazing Mollie Katzen's book The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, which if you don't own, you must immediately purchase right this minute.


Bain taitneamh as do bhéil!


PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 35-40 minutes
SERVES: 8-10


INGREDIENTS:
For the crust:
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (up to 1/4 cup can be whole wheat flour) plus more for rolling
4-6 tablespoons cold water
For the filling:
1 large leek, white & light green parts cut into small rings
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pint strawberries, tops removed and sliced evenly
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, washed and snipped into small pieces
6 oz feta cheese
4-5 eggs (depending on how big your quiche pan is... more on that issue below)
1 1/4 cups milk (soy or ricemilk works well here too)
salt & pepper, to taste


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

To make dough: in a food processor, blend the butter and flour until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Slowly drizzle the water into the food processor, blending until a ball of dough forms. (More or less water may be needed to achieve this texture, it all depends on the temperature and humidity of your kitchen.)

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to pie-crust thinness. (Obviously this isn't an exact measurement, but it wants to be pretty thin without being transparent.)

Number one item on my kitchen wish-list: a rolling pin.
Although this bottle of Lucas Vineyard's Dry Dock Red (purchased last summer on our trip to the Finger Lakes) worked in a pinch to roll out my dough, I think a rolling pin would have made the chore much easier.

Drape the rolled dough over a pie pan and cut off excess dough from the sides. If you have a lot left over like I did, wrap it tightly in plastic and freeze it for later!

Number two item on my kitchen wish list: a pie pan.
Again, my glass casserole dish did work in a pinch, as would any small oven-proof dish. But I definitely missed that beautiful round quiche look!

Set aside crust and begin working on the filling.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and soak leeks for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the sand & grit trapped between all of those leek-y layers to sink to the bottom of the bowl.

With a slotted spoon or a sieve (third item on my kitchen wish list: a sieve!) fish out the leeks and place in a frying pan. Toss in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and saute for 5 minutes or so on medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent leeks from sticking and burning. The goal is to slightly caramelize the leeks. Remove from heat and set aside.

Crack eggs in a large bowl. Depending on the size of your pan, I recommend 4-5 eggs per quiche. I used 4 eggs in this recipe, but I think I could have definitely snuck another one in. As always, I cannot recommend using eggs from free-range, vegetarian-fed chickens supplied by your local farmer enough. You'll be amazed by the taste difference, I promise you. Bonus: they're actually better for you.

Whisk the eggs and milk together. Add strawberries, cooked leeks, rosemary and a sprinkle of salt & pepper.

Now you're ready to assemble the quiche! Spread the feta cheese directly onto the crust. (This is another tip from Mollie Katzen-- as the cheese melts, it will form a moisture-resistant barrier that will help prevent your crust from getting a soggy bottom!)

Pour the egg filling into the crust:

Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until the quiche is firm:

Serve with a glass of homemade lemonade. Bonus points if you eat your quiche outside in the spring sunshine!