Spring Asparagus Quiche

 

Spring is here so is tender asparagus in abundance. We have been devouring asparagus so many delicious ways and it's unbelievably cheap right now. This asparagus packed quiche is great for lunch or dinner. A simple cheese mixture of Gruyere and sharp cheddar pairs so wonderfully with slightly sauteed asparagus. I love its wonderful blend of flavors with cheese, eggs, herbs and asparagus making this dish a family favorite comfort food. This is a very rich dish and it perfectly goes well with hearty spring salad.  

Quiche is a savory pastry of French cuisine filled with cheese, milk, eggs, herbs, veggies and any non veg. It can served as main dish or as appetizer. It's a great make ahead dish and can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days or frozen up to a couple of months. 

This is a easy recipe with home made pastry crust. You can use store bought that works wonderful too. I chopped some asparagus and slightly sauteed to avoid crunchiness and mixed with the cheese-egg mixture and baked for 20 minutes; then I arranged some slightly sauteed asparagus spears on top and baked 15 more minutes which turned out just perfect. 

Ingredients~
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
5-6 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling:
14 asparagus spears, bottomed trimmed
1 1/4 cup chopped asparagus
2 tsp oil
1 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 large eggs
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Method~
Mix flour, salt and sugar. Add in butter and rub with finger tips until it resemblance breadcrumbs. Add one tablespoon of ice cold water and stir with a rubber spatula. Add more water to form like a dough  without making it soft and try to make it round firm ball using both hands, then flatten to form a disk. Wrap it up with a clear plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  
While dough is resting, saute chopped asparagus and asparagus spears separately over medium heat for five-seven minutes. Season with little salt and pepper. Set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a 9 inch pie dish or a quiche pan. Roll out the disk to 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Trim the over hangs and crimp the edges. Pierce the dough all over with a fork to avoid puffing up while baking the crust. Put the pan onto a baking sheet. Line the crust with a parchment paper and fill with dried beans. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and take out the paper and beans. Cover the edge of the crust with a aluminium foil to prevent the edge over browning. Bake the crust again for ten more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for awhile. 

Place some chopped asparagus on the baked crust. Mix together cheese, herbs, salt, pepper, remaining chopped asparagus and milk. Beat eggs lightly then mix with the cheese mixture. Pour mixture over the baked crust. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange asparagus spears on the top and bake 15 more minutes until light brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a while. This recipe serves for 5 people as a main dish. 

Happy Baking!!