our little secret: easy but impressive leek & ham quiche

If you're having dinner guests on fairly short notice, or want to prepare an easy make-ahead brunch that won't require a lot of fuss while you visit with your out of town guests, let me tell you about this quiche. Growing up, it was always my mom's staple "fancy" food - we made it for Christmas Eve, New Year's, and other festive occasions. Precisely because it can be made ahead (even baked the day before), you never have to follow the recipe exactly, it uses up odds and ends of cheese left over from other recipes in your cheese drawer, and it's impressive enough on a plate. The basic premise is some meat (optional), some vegetable (optional) plus some cheese(s), and several eggs mixed with half-and-half. I made a double batch of leek confit (remember how good it was in Molly Wizenberg's leek tart?), and used up a little fresh mozzarella, fontina & gruyere I had on hand, with a few slices of ham. Perfect.

Grocery list: one pre-made pie crust - the kind you can roll out, not frozen in a tin (or, make your own), 4 eggs, 3/4 cup half-and-half, 3 cups total shredded cheese (I used about one cup each gruyere, fontina and mozzarella), 3 ounces sliced ham, 1-2 cups leek confit. You could also saute mushrooms and/or onions to use in place of the leeks - cook them for about 10 minutes until tender, then allow to cool to room temperature before assembling quiche.



Roll out the crush into a pie dish. Spread 1 cup of cheese on the bottom, followed by diced ham. Evenly distribute leeks (or the mushroom/onion mixture).



Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the ham and leeks. Whisk eggs and half-and-half with salt and pepper, then pour over the filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes, or longer.



Quiche is done when you can gently shake the sides of the pan and the inside giggles without appearing liquid-y. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before you slice it. The eggs will continue to cook during this period, and the inside will firm up, so don't cut too early or your quiche slices will look messy.

leek tart with goat cheese

I really am loving Molly Wizenberg's (AKA Orangette) "Cooking Life" column in Bon Appetit. She is such an incredible food writer - she's so over the top with her descriptions (I can relate). Her column in the October 2008 issue was probably my favorite, featuring 2 recipes in 1, for leek confit and a leek and goat cheese tart. Based on her recommendation, I was putting leftover leek confit on everything for days (including scrambled eggs - who would have guessed?). The tart was perfect, even though I used fresh goat cheese instead of aged.

Grocery list: (for the leek confit) 1/2 stick butter, 4 large leeks; (for the crust) 3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1.5 cups AP four, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 stick butter plus 1 T; (filling) 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 crumbled goat cheese (original recipe calls for aged goat cheese, such as Bucheron).



Make the crust by pulsing the flour and salt with butter (cold, and cut up into small cubes) in a food processor, until it has the consistency of coarse meal. Mix 4 T ice water with the cider vinegar in separate bowl, then add this slowly to the machine while it's running. The dough should start to make clumps (if not, add another T or 2 of ice water). Remove from the processor, shape into a ball, wrap with saran wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll it out on a floured surface, and transfer to a tart pan. As you can see, I only had a pie pan, so this technically was a leek pie...



Cover your crust with foil, and fill it with dried beans or rice (to weigh down the crust). Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes; remove the foil and weights and continue to bake until it's golden - another 20 minutes or so. Allow to cool while you work on the filling.



To make 2 cups of leek confit (you'll only need 1.5 cups for the tart - the leftovers are great with scrambled eggs!), chop the leeks in half lengthwise, then into 1/4 inch slices. Wash thoroughly. Put 1/2 stick of butter in a dutch oven and melt over medium-low heat. Add the leeks (about 5 cups washed and chopped), plus 2T water and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on low, stirring every few minutes, for 25 minutes. Uncover and allow any excess water to cook out - about 3-5 more minutes of cooking time.



Whisk the egg + 1 yolk with the milk, cream, and a pinch of salt.



Spread 1/4 cup crumbled cheese over the bottom of the tart, then pour 1.5 cups of leek confit over. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top, then pour the milk and egg mixture over top. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees. You'll know it's done when you shake the pan and the middle of the tart is jiggly but firm (not liquid-y) - yes, these are scientific terms. I also had a bit of crust around the rim that I worried would burn, so I covered the edges of the pan carefully with foil, like you do with an apple pie. It turned out great this way.

mushrooms and leeks with pecorino fonduta

It should be fairly obvious by now that I have an obsession with Food & Wine magazine, and especially any of their Italian recipes, so this recipe from their April 2008 issue is right up my alley. According to the article, fonduta is basically Italian fondue. You serve this easy-as-possible cheese sauce over sauteed leeks and mushrooms, which rest on top of crusted slices of baguette. So simple and unique.

Grocery list: butter, 2 pounds leeks, 4 garlic cloves, 1 pound wild mushrooms, rosemary, half-and-half, parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, balsamic vinegar, grilled italian bread slices.


Start by melting a stick of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, and the leeks. (Side note: to prepare leeks, chop off the tough green leaves and the very end of the white root; slice lengthwise and rinse under cool water, trying to separate the leaves to get the water into all the crevices. Chop the white and tender green parts only, about 1/2 inch slices, then place in a bowl of cold water. Let them soak for a few minutes, then squeeze and shake one handful at a time and remove to the pan you're cooking with.) Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.



Add the wild mushrooms and cook until the excess liquid has evaporated and they are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp minced rosemary, season with salt and pepper, then keep warm.



In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup half-and-half (the original calls for cream, but I don't use cream unless it's absolutely necessary) to a boil and reduce to 2/3 cup, about 7 minutes. Turn off the flame and stir in 1/2 cup grated parmesan and 1/4 cup grated pecorino.



Drizzle the mushrooms with a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar, then serve over the bread slices. Top with the fonduta.

roasted pork with leeks

I didn't grow up eating a lot of pork, and on those rare occasions I remember dry bone-in pork chops grilled with barbeque sauce. Only in the last year or so have I realized that I've been missing out. This particular recipe may take 2 hours to cook, but it's very hands-off. The meat is so tender it falls apart under your fork, due to roasting with a simple mix of leeks, a pat of butter, and white wine. This is one of my staple dishes, and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

Grocery list: 2-3 pound center cut pork tenderloin or center cut roast, 2 pounds of leeks (3 or 4 big ones), butter, white wine.



Start by cleaning the leeks. Chop off the tough green leaves (approximately the top half of the stalk), and the tip of the root end. Slice lengthwise. Run under cool water, separating the leaves gently to rinse out all the dirt in between them -- but don't pull apart the leaves entirely or it will be a lot harder to chop. Next, chop the leeks into 1/2 inch pieces. Place in a big bowl of cold water, and crunch the chopped leeks with your hands to release any little particles of dirt remaining. Rinse one more time to be sure.



Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the leeks and 1/2 cup water and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper, and remove the contents of the dutch oven to a separate bowl. Increase the heat to medium-high and add another tablespoon of butter to the pan. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper, then sear for about 1 minute per side.



Pour 1/2 cup white wine into the pan, and stir around the pork loin to help loosen the brown bits. Dump all the leeks back on the top and sides of the pork, turn the heat down to just-barely-on, cover and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes (or longer, if you use a single center cut roast instead of 2 tenderloins, it may take 2 hours). Slice the pork and serve with the leek sauce on top.