by Feeding the Saints (A. C. Parker)
View
my 11 other recipes »
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseFeeding the Saints (A. C. Parker)'s Notes:
Expand
1
sheet frozen puff pastry
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 pound
leeks
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 cup
half-and-half
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
3
eggs
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 teaspoon
freshly grated lemon zest
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
freshly ground black pepper
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2 teaspoons
ouzo (optional)
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2-1/2 ounces
feta cheese, cut into 4 (approx 1/2-inch) slices
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
Preheat oven to 375F. Thaw puff pastry according to package directions.
Ask the hotline about this step!Prepare the leeks. Rise off any visible dirt and slice the roots from the end. Remove the dark green tops, leaving a couple inches of light green with the white portion of the leeks. (The dark trimmings can be reserved for another use, adding them to a vegetable or chicken stock, for example.) Halve the leeks lengthwise, then cut crosswise in 1/2-inch slices. Dump the slices in a colander or salad spinner and rinse thoroughly; if you don’t, you risk having a gritty, sandy quiche, as leeks often hide dirt deep in their layers. Let the leeks drain well, or spin dry.
Ask the hotline about this step!Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the leeks and cook until they are wilted; don’t cook them so much that they give off liquid. Turn off the heat and let sit.
Ask the hotline about this step!In a mixing bowl or large measuring cup, using a whisk or fork, beat together the half-and-half, eggs, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Add the ouzo, if using.
Ask the hotline about this step!Prepare the pastry crusts. On a lightly floured surface, or between two layers of plastic wrap or parchment paper, roll out the thawed puff pastry to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Line a shallow pie plate or cut the pastry into four circles to fill individual baking dishes. Press the pastry up the sides to make a nice edge.
Ask the hotline about this step!Fill the quiches. Distribute the leeks evenly across the bottom of the dish(es). Pour the milk mixture over the leeks. Top the quiche(s) with the slices of feta. (If you have feta that crumbles apart, don’t worry, just sprinkle it on top.)
Ask the hotline about this step!Bake 30-40 minutes, depending on size of the quiche(s). The center should be solid and the crust and top nicely browned. Let the quiche cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. The quiches taste great hot, room temperature, even cold.
Ask the hotline about this step!Enjoy with a simple green salad and a glass of chilled assyrtiko from award-winning Domaine Sigalas (Santorini).
Ask the hotline about this step!Made this last night (from the cookbook) and it was great. Ate a leftover slice for lunch today with a bit of roasted-red-pepper sriracha sauce which played nicely off the bright and fresh flavors of the quiche: http://epifurious.tumblr.com/post/16987386237/lemon-leek-and-feta-quiche
Hmm, Sriracha... never would have thought of that; sounds like a good thing to do on Day 2. Thanks for taking the time to comment and write up a post. (You can thank your boyfriend for the the thumbs up, too)!
This was really excellent. I used the recipe almost exactly as written (which never happens!), except that I used 6 eggs instead of 3, because I know that a 6-egg quiche fills my standard pyrex 9" pie dish perfectly. I did use ouzo, which i happened to have in the house, and I feel like it really added a fantastic flavor. Could be because the ouzo is over 20 years old. Ew. Anyway, thank you for the recipe! It was delicious!
Thanks, Susan! Glad you liked the recipe--and almost exactly as written, that's high praise indeed. :) Does ouzo get better with age? Hmm. As is said in Greece "Stin yia sas!" (To your health, or "Cheers!")
This was delicious! Couldn't find leeks in our mountain town in January so substituted sweet green onions big ones... and added some fennel about 1 teaspoon...this wasn't quite enough. I would use 1 Tablespoon next time but such a lovely recipe. Thanks so much...next time I will add Ouzo too!
Thanks so much. I really appreciate your commenting. I think the sweet green onion substitution is a great idea. As is the fennel--since I realize that a lot of people probably don't keep ouzo (or pastis) on hand. So glad that you enjoyed it. Happy new year to you.
This was delicious! I made it for a Boxing Day brunch and everyone loved it. I didn't have ouzo so added a bit of roasted fennel for the aniseed flavour. I think the lemon zest and using half & half instead of whole milk really makes the difference.
So glad you enjoyed this. Boxing Day is a great tradition, by the way. Roasted fennel sounds lovely, too. Thanks for trying the recipe and taking time to write back about it. Cheers, and hope you have a happy and delicious new year.
Loved the tart - I made it in a single french tart pan and let the top of the feta brown ever so slightly. Delicious! Love the custard base - the texture really is quite special. Am going to have fun coming up with variations on the theme :)
So glad you tried and loved the quiche! Thanks for taking the time to make the recipe and to leave a comment. I'd love to hear about any new variations you come up with, too. Cheers! ~ Allison
Excellent recipe. I had four 4" tart pans (w/ removable bottoms) and had filling left over that could have filled a fifth. Even had left over puff pastry that I could have pressed into the fifth one had I had one. I added some thyme to the custard too.
Thank you! So glad you like the recipe and felt inspired to give it your own twist with the thyme. I guess my individual ceramic baking dishes are deeper than yours. Did you need to adjust the baking time at all? Thanks again for taking the time to make the recipe and comment here.
Excellent recipe. I had four 4" tart pans (w/ removable bottoms) and had filling left over that could have filled a fifth. Even had left over puff pastry that I could have pressed into the fifth one had I had one. I added some thyme to the custard too.
Yummmm, this sounds delicious....going to make it on the weekend; and may even attempt to make the crust myself! Thanks for sharing!! :o)
Thanks for investing in the time to comment and--more importantly--try the recipe! Hope you enjoy it.
Sounds wonderful! Would you freeze the tart before or after baking?
Thanks, phyllisc. Good question. You know, I think you could do it either way, but I have always had good luck baking and then freezing. It's lovely to know that later, when you're in a pinch for lunch or dinner, all you need to do is re-heat. If you try it the other way, let me know how it turns out.
I have made this dish twice now and love, love, love the freshness of it. It bakes up nicely in my large tart pan (removable bottom) and the puff pastry is flaky and matches the quiche in its lightness.
So glad you've had repeated success. Thanks for taking the time to let me (and others) know. I really appreciate it.
My first food52 recipe and boy was it tasty! I've made a lot of quiches, but I really liked the texture of this one (not sure what made the difference - maybe the half and half). I added canadian bacon per your recommendation (and left out the ouzo) and it balanced the lemon and feta flavor quite nicely. I was a little worried it'd overpower the other flavors, but it didn't. I also had never used puff pastry as a quiche crust, but it had a nice texture. I unfortunately had crumbled feta on hand and I must say that my favorite bites were the ones that had a larger chunk of feta, so I'll definitely cut the feta into large chunks next time. Thank you for sharing!
Oh, you have no idea how happy I am that your Food52 experience started here and that it was a success. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! ~ Allison
I had this recipe's picture up at work yesterday, and every single person who saw it stopped in awe of its deliciousness :) Well done!
Regarding the cream ~ I would subsitute fat free half and half fearing the greek yogurt may interfere with the feta punch of flavor.
Hey, thanks so much for letting me know how well received the recipe is in your workplace. Your comment/compliment made my day! Meanwhile, forgive my shock and ignorance, but I had no idea there was such a thing as fat-free half and half... how can cream not contain fat?!
Thank you! Has anyone tried substituting the half and half with Greek yogurt?
Hmm... now that's an interesting idea. I'd be worried that substituting all of it would change the consistency too much. If the cream in half and half is what puts you off, you can switch to milk, and then maybe just start by trying to substitute half the quantity of milk with yogurt? I tend to be a full-fat, no concessions kind of cook, but love it when other people want to adapt my recipes. If you do decide to play around with yogurt, I'd love to hear how it comes out! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Sounds really delicious and refreshing and light! Love that you add a splash of Ouzo to the mix - I spent 2 weeks in Greece and that's a critical ending to any Greek meal. Opa!
Thank you so much. I tend to think that everything is helped along by a splash of ouzo. Last summer, I made a batch of lemon-ouzo popsicles, too... so refreshing. Anisette is one of my favorite flavors. Thanks again, and Opa! back at you.
I am going to make this for my Valentine. He went to Crete this year and loves anything Greek, lemons, feta, etc. He also loves leeks. Thanks for the tip on refrigerating the quiche before baking! Bravo A.C.!
Looks delicious, will try it this weekend!
Well, a small technical glitch prevented me from posting a comment here yesterday, but since I'm able to do so now, I wanted to say a really big THANK YOU to Amanda and Merrill for selecting this recipe as a Wildcard Winner. That sounds so insufficient, but it's heartfelt. I was really surprised and thrilled when I logged in yesterday—this made my day (at least)! I also appreciate the tip about refrigeration of the quiches before baking in order to puff and crisp the pastry more. But the best part about this might just be that more people will see the recipe, give it a try, and enjoy it. Thanks, everyone! ~ Allison
how lovely! i will definitely try this soon!
Thank you!
This sounds so good. The chuck of feta especially. I will definitely make it. I also love the idea of individual tart pans, but do not have any. I do have individual spring form pans. I might try it in them and see how if comes out. I get together with my close friends once a month for brunch. We call it Tribal Brunch and this will be perfect any season.
Thanks. I'm glad you like the sound of it. I have made this in one large pie plate as well, and it works out fine, you just need to adjust cooking time a bit. I would probably try a large pie plate before springform—I'm not sure how the puff pastry would work in there—but then again, why not? Always worth a try. I'd love to hear results. I love the idea of your Tribal Brunch, and would be honored if you make it one month. Thanks for commenting.
I love the sound of this recipe and I like the addition of lemon and ouzo. Definately trying very soon.
Thanks! If you do try it, let me know how you like it.
This looks wonderful. I had never thought to add any 'spirit' to my eggs. What size individual dishes did you use for this recipe?
Hi, Jennifer Ann, and thanks for the comment! For the individual size quiches, my dishes were 5 inches in diameter (measured across the outer top edges). If you try the recipe, which of course I hope you do, please let me know how you like it. Thanks again.
I really enjoyed this dish - and I feel the Ouzo is essential! Luckily it is my partner's favourite spirit so it's always in the house. I didn't have enough leeks so I used some brown onion and some capsicum, sliced finely. Added to the colour of the dish and didn't really push the flavour away from what I think was intended. I also made up the various bits of the mixture in advance so I could assemble and put in the oven when I came home late from work. Thanks for the recipe!