Spring Vegetable Quiche

Since I told you about my favorite pie crust the other day, I thought, hey, why not throw out a little recipe that is as easy as all get out, illustrating the glory of said crust? Now, I know you might be looking at the photo above and seeing bits of green and what appears to be a savory quiche, and you may be a bit puzzled by the whole thing. Where's the sugar, man?! And to throw you off a little more, look! Pictures of vegetables! Wheeee!

About now, perhaps you’re checking the URL and making sure you’ve landed on the right blog. Or wondering if I’ve really, finally gone off the deep end. Which, honestly, I nearly do, about three times per week at least. But make no mistake—you’re in the right place, my darlings. I’m all thinking outside the box and seeing the forest for the trees or whatever and throwing savory at you. And I feel fantastic about it. This Spring Vegetable Quiche will make your weekend brunch, I can promise you that.

There’s really no better time to whip up a dish like this, guys. It’s insanely simple to throw together and it’s bursting with fresh, bright, green spring bounty. Fabulous crust aside, it’s a tangle of melting leeks and tender-crisp bits of asparagus, all nestled in a delicate, creamy bed of golden egg custard. With a little pile of lightly dressed greens and a chilly glass of Sauv Blanc on the side, you might just spaz out from gastronomical pleasure and maniacal happiness. It may make you do something crazy, like post the recipe on your granulated sugar-fueled baking blog. I can’t be held responsible. Spring Vegetable Quiche Adapted from Martha Stewart

As long as you keep the general amounts the same, you can swap out all sorts of vegetables here. I think adding some little sweet spring peas to the mix would be excellent. Scattering the cheese across the bottom of the crust rather than mixing it into the custard will help keep the crust from being soggy. To make this recipe even easier, you can forgo the scratch crust for a store-bought one. I won’t tell anyone.

Serves 6-8

1 pie crust, placed in a 9-inch glass pie plate, crimped and well-chilled 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, well-washed, halved and sliced thin 1 pound green asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (keep the tips intact) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 large eggs 1 1/4 cups half-and-half Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Position a rack to the lowest level of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and asparagus and season generously with salt and pepper. Saute just until the colors brighten and the vegetable just begin to soften, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg.

Place the chilled pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the cheese over the bottom of the pie shell. Place the vegetables in an even layer over the cheese. Pour the custard over all. Bake until the center of the quiche is just set, about 50-60 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving. To store leftovers, let the quiche cool completely before covering tightly and refrigerating for up to 1 day. Reheat at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.