Wednesday

Leek Quiche in Puff Pastry


It is such an easy quiche to make, using frozen puff pastry. Sauteed sliced onions can be substituted for the leeks or you can use your choice of meat or vegetable filling.

I really like the way leeks and onions take on a subtle sweetness when they are sauteed then baked.

Choose any cheese(s) you prefer. I happened to have Asiago and Gruyère on hand. Swiss, Jack, Cheddar, Brie; any combination would be suitable.


One of the things that helps this type of quiche go together so quickly is frozen Puff Pasty and these French square tart/quiche pans with removable bottoms.

One Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry sheet, rolled out just slightly fits perfectly in each pan.


I use the square pans for sweet tarts (fruits and custards) as well. It's so easy to cut neat, even portions from the square shape.



To read more about the square tart pan

see Side Bar ---->

Or click link below:

Gobel 9-Inch Square Quiche Pan


If you have a scrap of dough you might want to cut a decoration and bake it off as a garnish~


I don't use an exact recipe; just sprinkle your cooked vegetable over the dough in the pan, sprinkle with cheese, then pour the whisked eggs (add some fresh minced herbs to the egg/cream mix if you like) to about 1/8 to 1/4 from the rim of the pan. Place on baking sheet and bake.

Here's the general guideline for 1 square 9-inch tart pan:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F)

For one square quiche I used one very large, well washed, trimmed leek (the darkest green part tends to be tough so I trim that part off and discard, or use for stock). Slice or chop the leek, saute in a large skillet in a little oil (or 1/2 oil and 1/2 butter) over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or so, until just tender, then set aside to cool slightly.

Roll the thawed puff pastry out gently until it is about an inch larger on each side.

Press into the tart pan, firmly press the pastry to the sides of the pan. Dock the bottom (prick with a fork) at 1/2 to 1-inch intervals all over.

Then a trick I learned from a French chef: Brush the dough with a thin layer of Dijon mustard.

Distribute the cooked leek evenly over the dough in the pan, add a layer of shredded cheese over the leek.

In a bowl whisk 2 or 3 eggs with one cup of half & half, or a mixture of half & half and heavy cream. Pour over the cheese and leeks (you may add a little more cream if necessary to just cover the leek and cheese.) Leave about 1/4-inch to 1/8th-inch space as the filling will puff as it bakes.

Sprinkle a little additional cheese over the top and bake:

Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet, in the middle of hot oven and bake for about 35 minutes. Begin checking at 20 minutes , if it is browning too quickly loosely tent with aluminum foil.

I allow mine to bake until the top begins to develop golden brown patches on the top, which I find very appealing ~ the extra baking time also assures the bottom crust won't be soggy.


Cool at least 5 to 10 minutes before cutting to allow the custard to set, then remove the tart pan from the base. Cut into serving pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.


This time I lightly steamed some fresh asparagus, then drizzled with white truffle oil vinaigrette.

Usually I serve it with some lightly dressed lettuce greens; baby spring greens are a nice accompaniment to a rich quiche.
























15 comments:

  1. This looks wonderful, Mari. So simple and delicious.

    I have the puff pastry and the tart pan so I'm all set to go.

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  2. Ya know girl...you are a bad influence on me....I have to sneak this square pan into the kitchen...
    L xoxoxox

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  3. Oh, I have a bigger square fluted pan that I bought on clearance and I haven't found a use for it yet...till now! Thanks, Mari! This looks so good.

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  4. Wow! This looks wonderful! I am a leek girl through and through! This will definately be baking in my kitchen soon!

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  5. I love leeks, this quiche looks incredible! I love the idea of using scrap dough to make a garnish, thats so creative!

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  6. It does look wonderful, Mary! How clever to make a leek. Mine would look like an octopus!

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  7. I need to play around with puff pastry more. It looks fabulous!! I love all of the photos too!

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  8. i love puff pastry, right up my alley!

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  9. this looks soo good. I think this may be for dinner tomorrow!

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  10. Oooh, I love quiche! Great job on this one, it looks fabulous! I would like to invite you to visit Foodista.com - the cooking encyclopedia everyone can edit - and share your favorite recipe and/or link your blog to foodista-related pages using our small embeddable widgets. Check it out here.. This is a great way for you to build blog traffic and connect with other food lovers! Also feel free to share your recipes and tips with us!Thanks!

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  11. Beautiful! I just wanted to let you know that on Sunday morning I am starting a new weekly posting (Sunday Shout Outs) where I blog about some of my favorite posts from other bloggers. This week your Olive Penguins made my list. Thanks for posting such great stuff!

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  12. Thank you so much everyone! It always makes me happy when you take the time to leave such nice comments.

    Thank you for the special recognition Amanda ~ how sweet of you!

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  13. This looks positively delicious, Mari! I have one Gobel pan that I love - a rectangle. I think I need the square one now ;)

    Thanks for the wonderful recipe, tips and drop-dead gorgeous photos.

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  14. Hi Mari, I found your recipe when I googled "puff pastry quiche" because I've got some on hand (usually make it with pre-made pie dough, but I don't feel like heading out the to store.) Do you blind bake the puff pastry before filling? Based on your instructions, I assume the answer is no, but I fear that it will be soggy. Does the oven temp alone take care of it? Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

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  15. Hi Betty! You can certainly blind bake it before baking it with the filling.

    I would gently tent the crust edges with aluminum foil if it begins browning too quickly during the second bake.

    Thank you for visiting!

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Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

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