Spinach and bacon quiche

Week 2 of my CSA: Holy greens, Batman! This week’s share is one ginormous box of greens: spinach, kale, Boston lettuce, parsley, cilantro, Swiss chard, collard greens, escarole… Challenge accepted! The quiche alone uses a full pound of spinach.

Here’s how I’m using these goodies:

• Spinach: spinach and bacon quiche featured here
• Escarole: salads for my lunch and also salad to top chicken cutlets Milanese
• Collards: Braised with barbecue chicken
• Kale: Portuguese Caldo Verde (chorizo, potato and kale soup)
• Boston lettuce: Lettuce wraps with Vietnamese marinated pork tenderloin
• Herbs: Thinking about a chimichurri with some grilled steak
• Swiss chard: TBD (any ideas, people???)

Spinach and bacon quiche

 

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Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

1 hour 45 mins

Total time

2 hours 45 mins

 

Spinach and bacon quiche with a creamy custard and cheese filling.

Author: Adapted from Bouchon by Thomas Keller

Cuisine: French

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups flour (about 12 ounces), sifted, plus a little more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 ounces (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
• ¼ cup ice water
• 
2 tablespoons canola oil

Filling

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ cup minced shallots
• 1 pound spinach, large stems removed, thoroughly washed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ cup grated comte, emmentaler, or gruyere cheese
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped

Custard

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 large eggs
• 
1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 6 gratings fresh nutmeg

Instructions

Make the crust

1. Place 1 cup of the flour and the salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the butter a small handful at a time.
2. When all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium and mix until the butter is COMPLETELY blended with the flour. Reduce the speed, add the remaining flour and mix just to combine. (Remember you don't want to see ANY flecks of butter in the dough, as they will melt when the shell is cooked and leave holes in the shell causing potential leaks when you fill it with custard.)
3. Add the water a little at a time and mix until the dough gathers around the paddle and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. It should feel smooth, not sticky. You may not need all the water, or you may need a little more.
4. Remove the dough from the mixer and check to be certain that there are NO visible pieces of butter remaining; if necessary, return the dough to the mixer and mix briefly again. Pat the dough into a 7- to 8-inch disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to a day. (If the dough does not rest, it will shrink as it bakes.)
5. Lightly brush the inside of a 9-by-2-inch bottomless cake ring with canola oil and place it on a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Place the dough on a floured work surface and rub on all sides with flour. Flatten it into a larger circle using a rolling pin or the heel of your hand. Roll the rolling pin back and forth across the dough a few times, then turn it 90 degrees and roll again. Continue to turn and roll until the dough is one-fourth inch thick (yes, this is a fairly thick crust) and about 14 inches in diameter. (If the kitchen is hot and the dough has become very soft, move it to a baking sheet and refrigerate for a few minutes.)
6. To lift the dough into the tart pan, place the rolling pin across the dough about one-quarter of the way up from the bottom edge, fold the bottom edge of the dough up and over the pin, and roll the dough up on the rolling pin. Lift the dough on the pin and hold it over the pan, centering it. Carefully lower the dough into the pan, pressing it gently against the sides and into the bottom. Trim any dough that extends more than an inch over the sides of the pan and reserve the scraps. Fold the excess dough over against the outside of the ring. (Preparing the quiche shell this way will prevent it from shrinking down the sides as it bakes. The excess dough will be removed after the quiche is baked.) Carefully check for any cracks or holes in the dough, and patch with the reserved dough as necessary. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 20 minutes to re-solidify the butter. Reserve the remaining dough scraps.
7. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Line the quiche shell with a 15-inch round of parchment paper. Fill the shell with pie weights or dried beans, gently guiding the weights into the corners of the shell and filling the shell completely. Bake the shell until the edges of the dough are lightly browned but the bottom is still light in color, 35 to 45 minutes.
8. Carefully remove the parchment and weights. Check the dough for any new cracks or holes and patch with thin pieces of the reserved dough if necessary. Return the shell to the oven until the bottom is a rich golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the shell to cool completely on the jellyroll pan. Once again, check the dough for any cracks or holes, and patch if necessary before filling with the quiche batter.

Make the filling

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes, add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook for two minutes more, until the spinach has wilted. Remove spinach from pan and drain on paper towels, reserve until ready to build and bake your quiche.

Make the custard

1. Combine the milk and cream in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat until scalded (meaning a skin begins to form on the surface). Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Put 3 eggs, half the milk and cream mixture, 1½ teaspoons salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper and 3 gratings of nutmeg in a blender and blend on low speed about 5 seconds to mix thoroughly, then increase the speed to high and blend until the batter is light and foamy, about 30 seconds.
3. This is the first layer of custard for the quiche. Once you have assembled the first layer of the quiche, add the remaining custard ingredients to the blender and repeat the process to complete the quiche.

Assembly and baking

1. Scatter ¼ cup of cheese, ½ of the bacon, and ½ of the spinach mixture evenly into baked quiche shell still on baking sheet.
2. Blend the quiche batter again to aerate it, then pour in enough of the batter to cover the ingredients and fill the quiche shell approximately halfway.
3. Top the custard with the remaining bacon, filling and another ¼ cup of cheese.
4. Blend the second half of the custard and fill the quiche shell all the way to the top, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of cheese (if you don't have a very steady hand, you might spill some of the custard on the way to the oven; fill the shell most of the way, then pour the final amount of custard on top once the quiche is on the oven rack). You may have some custard left over.
5. Bake for 1½ to 1¾ hours, until the top of the quiche is browned and the custard is set when the pan is jiggled. Remove the quiche from the oven and let cool completely on a rack, then wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 day, or up to 3 days.
6. Once the quiche is thoroughly chilled, using a sharp knife, cut away the excess crust from the top edge. Gently remove the outside ring, working it free in spots with a small knife if necessary. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.
7. To serve, heat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper. Using a long serrated knife, and supporting the sides of the crust with your opposite hand, carefully cut through the edge of the crust in a sawing motion. Switch to a long slicing knife and cut through the custard and bottom crust. Repeat, cutting the quiche into 8 to 10 pieces. Place the pieces on the baking sheet and reheat for 15 minutes or until hot throughout.

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