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I often hear the words “fancy” and “complicated” associated with French food, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Quiche is a dish that’s a great way to clean up odds and ends in your veggie and deli drawers and makes for a delicious Sunday brunch.

For me, a good quiche is dense and custardy with a buttery flaky crust. What I put in it, whether it is mushrooms and spinach, or sausage and bacon is entirely up to my mood and what I have on hand. I’d be hard pressed to make a quiche without Gruyere cheese though.

The magical combination of nutty gruyere, rich cream and savory caramelized leeks makes for a sublime trio that dance around all the other flavors and textures in your mouth.

I also like my quiche at room temperature as it gives it a chance for all the flavors to mingle and the egg takes on a denser texture. If you want a lighter quiche have it warm, straight out of the oven, and you’ll have something between scrambled eggs and soufflé.

Quiche

Marc Matsumoto of NoRecipes shares his quiche recipe that can be varied to fit whatever vegetables or other ingredients you wish to include.

Ingredients

• 1 pack frozen puff pastry dough
• 5 ounces slab bacon cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1 leek, white part minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 ounces green beans, chopped
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces gruyère or comte cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Put the oven rack in the middle position, and then preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a 9" spring form pan with the puff pastry and go about 2" up the sides (you may need to roll it out a little if the sheets are too narrow). Cover with aluminum foil then add pie weights (dried beans or rice work well) to keep the dough from rising too much. Bake for 25 minutes.
3. Put a frying pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Sauté until the bacon is cooked through and some of the fat has rendered out (about 5 minutes). Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Add the leek to the pan with the rendered bacon fat and sauté until browned and very fragrant (about 10-15 minutes). Add the bell peppers and green beans and continue stir-frying until the green beans are bright green and cooked. Lightly salt and pepper the veggies and set aside.
4. Whisk the eggs, cream and salt together until the whites and yolks are completely incorporated.
5. When the crust is done, carefully remove the pie weights and aluminum foil. Add the hot sautéed vegetables, top with the cheese, the pour the egg mixture over everything, making sure no bits of cheese or vegetable are floating. Put it back in the oven and bake for another 35 minutes, or until the middle of the quiche is set and does not jiggle.
6. When the quiche is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing and serving with a side salad.