No matter how crazy the week is around here (and believe me, it can get really crazy), Sunday night dinner is a given in my house. I find it an extremely relaxing way to end the weekend, and as an added bonus, it stocks the refrigerator with leftovers for the coming week.
I typically plan the menu in advance, so that when the big day rolls around, I am prepared. The menu for this week was going to be simple: broiled salmon, salad and broccoli .
But the menu took a turn on Sunday afternoon, when I realized that I had a small pastry shell in my refrigerator that needed to be used up. (Normally, I don't have pastry shells just lying around. But after baking tarts earlier in the day, I had a small piece of leftover dough which I couldn't bear to waste.)
A quick survey of the refrigerator subsequently turned up a small piece of gruyere cheese, a shallot, a scant 8 oz of cream, 3 eggs and the afore mentioned broccoli. Did someone say broccoli quiche?
Before putting the quiche together, I blanched the broccoli for about one minute, and then rough chopped it.
I assembled the quiche by putting half of the grated cheese on the bottom (which I find prevents the crust from getting soggy) and then layered the vegetables, custard and remaining cheese.
As you can imagine, this recipe works well with a variety of green vegetables and cheeses. When using green leafy vegetables, I typically sauté the greens with garlic for a little extra flavor.
I served the quiche as a side dish, but it makes a wonderful main course (served with a salad) if you want something light. This dish is a particular favorite of mine in the summer, when I have access to fresh eggs and goat cheese at the Catapano Dairy Farm in Peconic, NY and a buttery (barrel aged) Chardonnay from Marcari Vineyards in Mattituck, NY.
