i went about two years before i started to attempt making gluten-like foods with gluten-free ingredients. not because it was hard but because i was afraid of what would happen. as i discovered bob's red mill gluten-free line, namaste brand pizza crust, bread crust and brownie mox, i started to make things i missed. as i discovered alternate flours like quinoa, almond/hazelnut meal, buckwheat (ironic, i know, that it has wheat in the name but is gluten free), millet, kamut and others, i figured i can easily make a good quiche.
i've come to rely on bob's red mill gluten-free all purpose flour, it is but one of many options and also depends on personal taste, but i find that prefer to combine it with something heartier, like a meal or a darker grain like buckwheat. since i really love buckwheat (les crêpes au sarrasin de mon enfance avec ma grandmère durant les étés!!), i figured the crust result could be nothing short of spectacular...
i used a typical pate brisé recipe but swapped out the wheat flour for 1 cup of buckwheat flour and 1.5 cups of gluten-free all purpose flour. roll out the dough between two pieces of wax paper until large enough to fit into a 8" to 10" tart pan, be sure to butter the tart pan carefully before laying the dough in. typically the dough is just over 1/8 of an inch thick once rolled out. once the dough has been laid in, pop it back into the fridge for 15-20 minutes. pre-heat the oven to 400F.
once dough has set in the tart pan and chilled, using a fork prick a few holes and pop into the oven for 15 minutes. remove from oven and let cool.
now to start the filling:1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 medium leek, sliced in 1/4" rounds, white and as much green as can be used
1 medium onion, sliced in rounds
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
pinch of sea salt
4-5 twists of the pepper grinder
2 sprigs of tarragon, oregano, thyme or sage
1 cup grated gruyère cheese
in a sautéing skillet, heat the oil and butter on a medium high flame. add the onions with a pinch of salt and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. add leeks and sauté until onions are slightly browned and caramelised, another 5-6 minutes. the leeks should be soft and even lightly browned. remove from heat and set aside.
in a bowl, add eggs and whisk until blended. add cream and beat very lightly, not more than 4-5 beats of the whisk. add salt, pepper and herbs, mix and set aside.
take the pan with the cooled crust and evenly spread the onion/leek mixture throughout the pan. slowly add in the egg mixture, taking care to not spill any of it on the crust. if there is too much egg mixture, use in the morning for your scrambled eggs. they'll be divine!
top off the tart with the cheese, add a few last twist of the pepper grinder on top and pop the quiche into the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. pop the bottom out of the tart pan, slice into 8 pieces and serve with a green salad or roasted asparagus.
the coolest thing about a recipe like quiche is that you can literally put anything in the custard - bacon, ham, prosciutto, italian sausage, chorizo, seafood, green onions, shallots, red or green peppers, squash, zucchini, fennel, potatoes, spinach, chard, peas, tomatoes, just about anything you have lying around and need to get rid off. the combinations are endless. my dad's wife sometimes uses ground beef and curry. once she used left over boeuf bourgignon and it was delicious. experiment and find your signature combination.
also feel free to experiment with cheeses. try emmental if gruyere is too sharp. white cheddar, fontinella, asiago, goat cheese, feta, mozzarella, provolone, harvati with jalapeno, parmesan, romano or pecorino are good. even a blue cheese like gorgonzola or fourme d'ambert will do nicely with the right ingredients. try an epoisse or pont l'eveque if you like bold cheeses, they're amazing.
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