Variation of Quiches by Jolanda

Last friday, I made 2 different kinds of quiches: smoked salmon/leek and goats cheese/spinach. The small size ones are fun for partys and lab lunches, but for practicality, I put up recipes for big quiches. They are equally good though!

 

Smoked salmon and Leek Quiche (1 big quiche)
You need: 150g smoked salmon, 2 leek (about 700g), 3 eggs, 200ml cream, salt, pepper and ready made puff pastry (or you can make puff pastry yourself, I will also add a recipe for that).
Preheat the oven at 180°C. Wash the leek, cut it into small pieces, blanche for a few minutes in boiling water and strain. Cut the salmon into small pieces. Mix eggs and cream in a bowl, stir in leek and salmon, add some salt and pepper and ready is your quiche mix. Butter a quiche tray and line with the puff pastry, pour in the quiche mix and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top starts browning.

Goats cheese and Spinach Quiche (1 big quiche)
You need: 1 packet of goats cheese, 1 big pack of fresh spinach (or other vegetables, also works well with tomatoes, peppers or courgette), 3 eggs, 200 ml cream, herbes de provence, parmesan cheese and puff pastry. Preheat the oven at 180°C. Wash the spinach and cut it into small pieces. Mix eggs and cream in a bowl, stir in spinach (or other vegetables), grated parmesan cheese, add some salt and pepper and ready is your quiche mix. Butter a quiche tray and line with the puff pastry, crumble the goats cheese onto the puff pastry and then pour the quiche mix on top. If you want to add tomatoes, just put them on top at the end to prevent crushing. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top starts browning.

Puff pastry:
This is a recipe from Gordon Ramsay that I find works quite well:
250g strong plain flour, 1 tsp fine sea salt, 250g butter , at room temperature, but not soft, about 150ml cold water (I find that you need less than that).

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Roughly break the butter in small chunks, add them to the bowl and rub them in loosely. You need to see bits of butter.
2. Make a well in the bowl and pour in about two-thirds of the cold water, mixing until you have a firm rough dough adding extra water if needed. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 20 mins in the fridge.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently and form into a smooth rectangle. Roll the dough in one direction only, until 3 times the width, about 20 x 50cm. Keep edges straight and even. Don't overwork the butter streaks; you should have a marbled effect.
4. Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up and over that. Give the dough a quarter turn (to the left or right) and roll out again to three times the length. Fold as before, cover with cling film and chill for at least 20 mins before rolling to use.

Enjoy your quiches with salad or roasted vegetables!