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Swiss Chard & Spring Onion Quiche
Swiss Chard and Spring Onion (or sub leeks & scallions!) Quiche!! I love this seasonal flavor combo, but the beautiful thing about quiche is it can be essentially any combination of fresh vegetables, bathed in a simple custard of eggs, cheese, and wholesome dairy milk that makes for a rich and creamy filling and a result that’s comforting enough for weekdays — and elegant enough for any occasion.
Swiss Chard & Spring Onion Quiche
Prep time: 25 minutes plus 2 hours 30 minutes chilling
Cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients
Quiche Crust (for one 9-inch quiche):
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup ice water
Swiss Chard and Spring Onion Filling:
1 ½ tablespoons country style Dijon mustard
1 (4-ounce) package diced pancetta
14-ounces Swiss chard, stems and leaves chopped
1 cup chopped spring onions
1 clove of garlic, grated or pressed
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ cup whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream or 1 2/3 cup milk
3 large eggs
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup grated Gruyere cheese
Instructions
For the Crust:
•In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and toss to coat in the flour.
•Pinch the butter cubes between fingertips to flatten into thin sheets. Continue working the butter into the dough until pea-sized pieces form and dough is crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter or two dinner knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture easily.
•Once pea sized pieces are formed, drizzle in about half of the ice water. Gently fold the ice water into the pastry mixture using a rubber spatula to prevent the butter from getting too warm. Add more ice water as needed until the dough just comes together -- it may seem a little dry still, but as long as it pinches together nicely between two fingers, you are good to go. The dough will continue to hydrate as it sits in the fridge.
•Turn out the pastry dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and form into a disk. Fully wrap the dough in plastic and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
•When ready to use the pastry dough, allow the crust to sit out a room temperature for about 10 minutes to make it easier to roll.
•Lightly dust a flat surface with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the pie crust out 2-inches larger than a 9-inch pie plate. Transfer to the pie plate then trim any parts of the dough hanging over the sides in excess with kitchen shears.
•Fold the pie crust under all the way around the pie, then crimp the crust gently with your fingers to flute the edge. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
•Meanwhile, preheat the oven 375ºF. When ready to bake, remove the pie crust from the fridge and gently prick the prongs of a fork all over the bottom of the crust (this is called docking and prevents the crust from puffing on the bottom). Crumple a piece of parchment paper and then line the crust with it. Add pie weights or baking beans into the center of the crust all the way up the sides so it’s very full (this is important to ensure the sides of the crust don’t fall).
•Par-bake the crust for 12 to 16 minutes until the edges are just starting to turn golden. Remove the crust from the oven and carefully place the baking beans into a bowl to cool. Return the crust to the oven another 7 to 8 minutes until the bottom is lightly golden and set.
•Remove the crust and allow to cool completely while you make the filling.
For the Filling:
•Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and allow the fat to render, for 7 to 8 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Remove using a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
•Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of pancetta fat. Add the Swiss chard and spring onions and allow to cook for about 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper and cook a minute more. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
•In a large bowl add the milk, heavy cream, eggs, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined.
•Using a pastry brush, brush the mustard over the bottom of the crust. Spread the vegetable mixture evenly over the crust and top with the pancetta and grated cheese.
•Pour the milk mixture over the top of the vegetable mixture. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through in the center. The center should jiggle just slightly before it’s removed from the oven, as it will continue to cook as it cools.
•Remove from the oven and allow to cool until warm or room temperature before serving, at least 20 minutes.
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