Video: Cheesy Asparagus Quiche from Everyday Food Magazine

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From: Everyday Food Magazine

Get a forkful of this cheesy asparagus quiche

Now is the time to take advantage of asparagus, when it is at its best. Its subtle, grassy taste goes well with eggs, ham and cheese, but asparagus is also flavorful enough to stand up to more intense ingredients, such as soy sauce and ginger. See for yourself: Lucinda Scala Quinn, Director of Food for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, offers an “Everyday Food” magazine recipe for asparagus quiche featuring your own homemade crust.


Asparagus Quiche

From: Lucinda Scala Quinn

Yield: Serves 6.

Prep time: 20 minutes; total time: 1 1/4 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 leek (white and light green parts only), halved and thinly sliced, then well washed

• Coarse salt and ground pepper

• 1 bunch (1 pound) asparagus, tough ends removed, thinly sliced on the diagonal

• 4 large eggs

• 1 3/4 cups half-and-half

• Ground nutmeg

• 1 piecrust (see below), fitted into a 9-inch pie plate, well chilled

• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (4 ounces)

DIRECTIONS

Quiche construction: To make sure the vegetables are distributed evenly, spread them in the crust before pouring in the egg mixture.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, with rack in lowest position. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. Add leek and asparagus; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes; let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Place piecrust on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese; top with asparagus mixture. Pour egg mixture on top. Bake until center of quiche is just set, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

To store, let cool, then refrigerate, up to one day. Reheat at 350 degrees F until warm in center, about 30 minutes.


Piecrust

From: Lucinda Scala Quinn

Yield: Makes 1 single crust

INGREDIENTS


• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water


DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, using a pastry blender, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add butter, and cut in with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.

Sprinkle with two tablespoons ice water, and continue to work dough with pastry blender until crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to two tablespoons more ice water, one tablespoon at a time). Do not overwork.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; form into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour. (Or wrap in plastic, place in a resealable plastic bag, and freeze up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before rolling.)

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