Asparagus & Zucchini Quiche

Gruyère Pie Crust:

Preparation: 20 minutes  |  Total Time: 3 1/2 hours  |  Measurements for a 9″ deep dish pie crust

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups flour
6 tbsp cold butter cut into cubes
1 cup grated Le Gruyère
2 tbsp ice water (add 1 tbsp at time)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar

1. Combine flour, salt, and sugar in food processor. Add grated cheese and pulse until texture resembles sand.
2. Add butter in cubes, pulse until dough forms pea-sized pieces. Don’t over incorporate the butter, as this step will ensure a flaky crust.
3. Slowly add ice water. Start with 2 tbsp, pulse into dough. Add 1/2 tbsp at a time until dough is still crumbly but will come together in a ball if formed with your hands. The exact measurement of water will depend upon the humidity of your location*.
4. Roll into ball. Pat into a thick disk. Wrap with saran wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 2 hours (minimum 1 hour, maximum overnight).
5. Once rested, take dough out of fridge and place on counter to bring to room temperature for 15-20 mins.
6. Roll out dough, using your pie plate to measure (dough should be rolled out to 3″ wider than pie plate depending on how deep pie plate is.*
7. Lightly press dough into the plate and place back into the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 350°F.
9. Remove crust from refrigerator, line with foil or parchment and fill with beans, rice, or baking weights. This is called par-baking.
10. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Dough will still look pale, and edges will be slightly golden. Remove weights and foil or parchment, before filling with the quiche filling.

Quiche Filling:

Preparation: 20 minutes  |  Total Time: 1 hour  |  Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 cups zucchini sliced rounds
2 cups asparagus sliced on diagonal
1 cup grated Le Gruyère
1 cup grated Appenzeller
1/4 cup shallots sliced thinly
2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic minced
5 eggs
1 cup creme fraiche
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chives to garnish

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan, sauté zucchini on medium high heat until just cooked.
2. Heat remaining butter in a pan, sauté shallots in medium low heat until transparent, add a pinch of salt & pepper, and add minced garlic and asparagus. Turn heat up to medium, sauté until asparagus is bright in colour and just cooked.
3. While vegetables are sauteeing, make the filling by whisking five eggs with creme fraiche, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and pepper. Fold in 2/3 of the grated cheese.
4. Layer vegetables on top of crust. Start with zucchini, asparagus mix, then more zucchini and asparagus on top so vegetables are visible and decorative when finished baking.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the pie, top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 mins, until the filling has puffed up and set and cheese is browned. Insert a knife or toothpick into the filling, it should come out clean.
7. Let rest for 20 minutes before cutting.
8. Garnish with chives.

Recipe Pro-Tips:

• You can easily make this quiche recipe using a store-bought crust, but we prefer this cheesy pie crust made with Le Gruyère.
• Prepare the dough for the pie crust the night before. The next morning, take out the dough, let it rest, then roll out and bake the crust for a fresh and delicious brunch dish.
• Add the water to the dough slowly — you don’t want the dough to be too sticky. We used just under 4 tbsp of water but it depends on the humidity of your environment.
• If the dough is crumbly when you’re rolling it, put dough between two pieces of wax paper to roll out. Use the wax paper to transfer disk to pie plate gently.