When the tomato blossoms begin to appear in the early summer I start to daydream about all the things I will do with the loads of ripe, juicy tomatoes that I hope to harvest in a few short weeks. Unfortunately this season has not been great. I lost two entire plants when they inexplicably wilted and died just before they were about to begin producing. A third plant gave me a few great tomatoes and has since yielded baskets full of half rotten ones, which I can only assume is a result of blossom end rot. The final two tomato plants look . . . okay. I'm really not going to get my hopes up at this point.
Despite the bleak outlook for the remaining weeks of the tomato harvest I have managed to enjoy a few delicious tomato dishes. Tonight I took two freshly picked tomatoes and paired them with farmer's market broccoli and eggs to make a quiche. It was divine.
To create my quiche I combined a couple of recipes. For the crust I used a recipe from Martha Stewart for a pate brisee which conveniently makes two crusts. I use one and freeze the other. I followed a recipe for a broccoli quiche and a goat cheese and leak quiche from The Family Baking Book by America's Test Kitchen for the filling.
I sauteed one finely chopped leek in two tablespoons of butter for about six minutes and then added it to the egg mixture. Next I cut up the tomatoes, salted them and let them sit on paper towels to drain the excess water that could otherwise lead to a watery quiche. While the tomatoes were draining, I steamed the broccoli with 1/2 cup water and salt in a covered pan for three minutes. When the broccoli was bright green I removed the lid and cooked it about two minutes more until the water had evaporated.
Before adding the broccoli to the pre-cooked crust I quickly blotted the excess water off. I top the broccoli with the tomatoes and give in to the urge to stare for a minute at the beautiful, bright colors before I add the egg mixture and a little flourish of cheddar cheese.
I baked the quiche for about 55 minutes at 350 degrees. I like my quiche to be a little on the dry side with a nice golden top.
My son pushes his fork to the side and picks it up like a thick slab of pizza. I like to pair it with a nice green salad and while I eat I contemplate those beautiful tomato blossoms that gave birth to the gorgeous red tomatoes that ultimately lead me to this delicious bite of food.
Broccoli Tomato Quiche
Adapted from recipes by Martha Stewart and America's Test Kitchen
Martha Stewart's Pate Brisee
Makes two crusts
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 pieces
7 to 10 tablespoons ice water
I think making pie crust with a food processor is very easy, but you can also make it by hand ofcourse.
1. Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 10 seconds. The crust will not be as flaky if the crumbs are very tiny and the dough is overworked.
2. Add the ice water while the processor is turning until the dough just holds together, no longer than 30 seconds.
3. Divide dough into two portions, shape into two disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Dough can be frozen up to 1 month, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Quiche
1 to 2 leeks finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 head of broccoli
1 to 2 medium tomatoes
5 to 6 eggs
scant 2 cups goat milk (or half and half as the recipe suggests, I use goat milk for lactose reasons)
A little shredded cheddar cheese for the top
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place the oven rack in the middle position. Roll the dough out to the appropriate size and fit in the pie pan and sculpt the edge of the crust to your liking. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Cover the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes. This is when America's test kitchen suggests you stop with the pre-baking. I go a little further because I don't often get to make a quiche in one session. I usually get the pie crust made and baked in the morning and don't come back to the filling until the afternoon. So if you cannot add the filling while the crust is warm remove the foil and bake for about 10 more minutes until the crust is a light golden brown.
6. Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position.
7. Whisk together eggs and goat milk and with a little salt and pepper to taste.
8. Slice one to two medium tomatoes horizontally into 1/4 thick slices and gently remove skins. Place the slices on a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. The salt will draw out excess water so that the quiche does not become too watery during cooking. After a few minutes flip the slices over and salt the other side. Let the tomatoes sit with the salt during the next two steps.
9. Saute the leeks in 2 tablespoons butter for about 6 minutes or until softened, stirring constantly to prevent over browning. Remove from heat and let cool for about one minute and then stir into the egg mixture.
10. Cook broccoli with 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a covered 12-inch skillet until the water boils and the broccoli turns bright green, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the broccoli is tender and the water has evaporated, about 3 more minutes. Pat the broccoli dry before adding to the pie crust. You will have some extra broccoli to snack on while the quiche cooks.
Makes two crusts
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 pieces
7 to 10 tablespoons ice water
I think making pie crust with a food processor is very easy, but you can also make it by hand ofcourse.
1. Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add butter, and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 10 seconds. The crust will not be as flaky if the crumbs are very tiny and the dough is overworked.
2. Add the ice water while the processor is turning until the dough just holds together, no longer than 30 seconds.
3. Divide dough into two portions, shape into two disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Dough can be frozen up to 1 month, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Quiche
1 to 2 leeks finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 head of broccoli
1 to 2 medium tomatoes
5 to 6 eggs
scant 2 cups goat milk (or half and half as the recipe suggests, I use goat milk for lactose reasons)
A little shredded cheddar cheese for the top
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place the oven rack in the middle position. Roll the dough out to the appropriate size and fit in the pie pan and sculpt the edge of the crust to your liking. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Cover the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes. This is when America's test kitchen suggests you stop with the pre-baking. I go a little further because I don't often get to make a quiche in one session. I usually get the pie crust made and baked in the morning and don't come back to the filling until the afternoon. So if you cannot add the filling while the crust is warm remove the foil and bake for about 10 more minutes until the crust is a light golden brown.
6. Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position.
7. Whisk together eggs and goat milk and with a little salt and pepper to taste.
8. Slice one to two medium tomatoes horizontally into 1/4 thick slices and gently remove skins. Place the slices on a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. The salt will draw out excess water so that the quiche does not become too watery during cooking. After a few minutes flip the slices over and salt the other side. Let the tomatoes sit with the salt during the next two steps.
9. Saute the leeks in 2 tablespoons butter for about 6 minutes or until softened, stirring constantly to prevent over browning. Remove from heat and let cool for about one minute and then stir into the egg mixture.
10. Cook broccoli with 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a covered 12-inch skillet until the water boils and the broccoli turns bright green, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the broccoli is tender and the water has evaporated, about 3 more minutes. Pat the broccoli dry before adding to the pie crust. You will have some extra broccoli to snack on while the quiche cooks.
11. Pat the tomato slices dry and arrange them on top of the broccoli in the pie crust.
12. Pour in the egg filling. You may have some extra filling.
12. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and place in the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. The top should be set and if you want you can check to see if a knife inserted in the center will come out clean. Let the quiche cool and firm up for as long as you desire.
