Rustic Farm Egg Quiche with Coho Salmon and Chives
By Audra at Girl Meets Dirt Serves 5-6
Quiche is quintessential brunch fare in my book. It’s my favorite thing to prepare when family is in town as it’s easily made in advance and great after it sits for a bit. You can make it even easier (and gluten free) by nixing the pastry shell and preparing it in a skillet as a frittata. Be sure to heavily butter or oil the pan before pouring in the egg mixture if you go this route. Otherwise bake as indicated below.
1/2 pate brisee recipe below (par-baked), or prepared tart/pie shell
4 oz salmon trimmings
5 farm fresh eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup loosely packed finely chopped chives
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper
If you’re baking your own pastry shell, follow the recipe below, using a 9-inch round pie pan. While you are par-baking the shell, place the salmon trimmings on a piece of foil with a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes, or until just cooked. Remove from the oven and flake into pieces.
Leave the oven on or preheat to 350 degrees if you’re using a prepared shell. Beat together the eggs in a bowl with the cream and salt. Add the chives and salmon. Pour into pie shell and dot evenly with goat cheese. Finish with a few cracks of black pepper. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until set in the center, and puffed and brown. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Pat Brisse Dough Recipe
Makes 1 double sided crust or two 9-10 inch tart shells (freeze extra dough by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap)
1 cup unsalted butter (cold – this is key)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Cut up cold butter into small cubes (I aim for 16 from one stick). Mix salt into flour. Toss in salted flour and work with your fingertips as little as possible to blend in the flour. Don’t fuss about getting even crumbles- it’s fine to have some sandy bits and some chunky bits- that’s what makes the crust flaky.
Mix in cold water, just enough to pull the butter and flour mixture together, and quickly mound together until it just holds. Don’t overwork the dough. If it doesn’t look perfect that’s totally fine, you can patch it up with a little water once in the shell. If you have time, chill the dough in the refrigerator before rolling (wrap tightly in plastic wrap). Overnight is fine if you want to prepare in advance, but even 30 minutes helps.
Now it’s time to roll out the dough. If you’ve made the recipe as above, reserve half the dough and freeze. You’ll only need half for the tart shell. Dust flour on the rolling surface (a silpat mat is genius), and quickly (this is all about working the dough as little as possible), roll out the dough into a shape that will accommodate your pan. Once rolled out, fold the dough over your hand for easy transporting into the shell. Press into the shell and trim off any excess. Scrunch the edge in a nice pattern or press with the tines of a fork. Pop in the freezer for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To par-bake: Line the shell with foil or parchment paper and cover with pastry weights, rice, or dried beans. Bake the shell for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Remove from oven and remove foil & weights. Return to oven and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes, covering the edges with foil if they start to brown too much.
Relax. The hard part is over. If you’re all about ease, buy a premade shell, but it’s not going to be quite the same. Something about a homemade crust that makes it for me. Try it once.