Endive and Leek Quiche, inspired by Julia Child's book

Patricia, author of the food blog Sabores y Momentos, presents a recipe that will please young and old: a very healthy endive and leek quiche. She was inspired by the recipes of Julia Child, whom as you know we greatly admire. So there's only one thing left to say: bon appétit!

I have just turned 3 years as a blogger, it seems like yesterday. It has flown by, which means I have enjoyed it and boy have I enjoyed it and I savor it every day, with each recipe I share with you. And sharing through the Claudia & Julia blog you are many more who know me and try my recipes, so from here I thank you too!

It's cold, very cold around here and in many other areas of the north of our country. And a dish I cook a lot these days is Quiche. It accepts many fillings and is very versatile, but what comforts me most is that making it means having the oven on and my kitchen smelling of vegetables and baked pastry.

I have published several recipes for these delicious savory tarts over these three years, since we love them at home, so when the wonderful book by Julia Child fell into my hands, one of the recipes I knew she would excel at was quiches. So when I saw the leek one I thought of the delicious flavor of leek with butter, sautéed and then baked…mmmm….But when I saw the endive one I couldn't resist! Therefore, as it couldn't be otherwise, I bring you the endive one but with that irresistible touch of leek.

I don't know if many of you know anything about the history of Julia Child, I have to admit it's fascinating, I recommend watching the movie based on her life "Julie & Julia" (starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams), but what I surely recommend, if you like cooking, is to get her book "The Art of French Cooking" because it's one of those culinary gems you enjoy page by page and that, in my case, I'm reading as if it were a novel because of the wonderful way it makes recipes that might not seem simple, simple. I admit I'm hooked and that I enjoy every recipe I try from it, although as with this one, I later add my own touch.

For this recipe I chose of course one of the beautiful Emile Henry molds, the Emile Henry fluted ceramic tart mold. Those of you lucky enough to have one in your hands know there is nothing comparable, they are lifelong treasures. I am fortunate to already have several pieces that I have been collecting over the years and it's not only a luxury to cook with them, but bringing our dishes to the table served in them makes our plates look much better! Your table will look beautiful with a simple baked recipe in these lovely treasures!!

So let's go with the recipe that I'm sure you'll love! For the quiche we need a good pâte brisée, tender and crisp with a buttery flavor that I recommend making at home, although if we're short on time we can always use the store-bought shortcrust pastry. I still leave you the recipe for when you feel like trying it.

Ingredients for the pâte brisée:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 170g of butter very cold and cut into cubes
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable margarine very cold
• 1/2 cup of cold water

Ingredients for the quiche filling:

• 3 endives sliced into thin rings
• 1 leek sliced into thin rings
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 40g of butter
• 4 eggs M
• 200 ml heavy cream
• A pinch of nutmeg
• A pinch of freshly ground pepper
• 100g of Gruyere or Emmental cheese

Preparation

To make the pâte brisée by hand, you must work quickly as we don't want the butter to soften. Put the flour, salt, sugar, butter and margarine in a large bowl and mix with the fingertips quickly until the mixture becomes crumbly in small fragments. Add the water and mix quickly with your hand (if we see we need one more tablespoon of water, add it). Press the dough firmly (it should hold together, be pliable but not sticky) and shape it into a ball.

Place the dough on a previously floured surface and with the heel of your hand quickly press the dough sliding it forward, so the fat and flour will finish mixing completely. Gather the dough again and reshape into a ball. Sprinkle it with flour and wrap with wax paper to put in the freezer for an hour, or if preferred we can leave it in the fridge overnight.

It is important to roll out the dough very quickly, so place the dough on the surface where you will work it previously floured and with a rolling pin tap it if it's very cold and roll to form a more or less flat circle. Using flour, keep rolling with the pin from the center moving the dough forward and back firmly but gently. Lift the dough, turn it and roll until you form a circle about 2mm thick. We must use the dough as soon as it has been rolled out so it doesn't soften.

We roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over the mold, press the dough lightly into the bottom of the mold and cover the walls leaving it to exceed by about 3-4mm so they are more solid. Trim the excess dough by running the rolling pin over the top of the mold and press the dough with your thumbs to create an even edge. To prevent the walls from collapsing, we can use a sheet of parchment filled with a handful of dried legumes, so the weight will keep the base firmly attached to the mold during baking. In the oven preheated to 200º bake for about 7-10 minutes or until it has browned slightly. Remove, take out the paper with the legumes and put it back for a couple more minutes. Remove and without turning off the oven, prepare our filling.

In a pot, boil the endives and leeks with the water, salt and butter over moderate heat until there is almost no liquid left. Reduce the heat and leave about 20 more minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

In a bowl, beat the eggs together with the cream and the other ingredients. Gradually add the leek and endive already tender, taste for salt and spread over the pre-baked crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the upper part of the oven at 180º until it has risen and browned.

This quiche is just as delicious hot as cold, so it will serve you both for winter and for a summer picnic!! I hope you liked it!