Cauliflower quiche
January 6, 2012 • Category: Main Dish, Eggs/Dairy/Cheese
Christine Ferber is a famous French pastry chef in France (and internationally) who was named the jam fairy; she also specialized in tarts and quiches inspired by her native Alsace. I had one of her paperback books Mes Tartes sucrées et salées (Sweet and Savory tarts) laying around and this quiche is loosely inspired by one of her recipes.
Filling a quiche with cauliflower instead of, say, broccoli, makes for a lighter-tasting tart despite its richness. If you like to make a gratin with cauliflower, you will adopt the quiche idea. The cauliflower is steamed or boiled first, drained, cut into florets and set on the pre-baked crust on top of shreds of prosciutto or ham. A rich custard encases the pastry and baked till puffy and golden.
INGREDIENTS:
- Crust: 2 cups of flour, dash of salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (4 ounces or 125 g.)
- 1 tbsp of whipping cream or milk or more as needed
- Custard:
- 1/2 of a large cauliflower
- 3/4 cup of shreds of prosciutto or ham
- 6 eggs plus 2 egg whites
- 2 cups of whipping cream or 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk
- 1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup of grated parmesan
- 1 1/2 tbsp of grainy mustard
- Spices: 1/4 tsp of white pepper, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, 1 1/2 tsp of paprika, 1/4 tsp of black pepper
METHOD:
To make the crust:
- Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor; mix to combine well. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture looks sandy. Add the egg and mix, adding the tablespoon of cream or milk through the feed tube. As soon as the pastry holds together, stop the machine and transfer onto a piece of wax paper; gather the dough into a bowl, wrap and place in the fridge for one hour or overnight.
- When ready, bring to room temperature. Roll out on a large piece of wax paper. Flip onto a greased and floured pie plate. Prick all over with a fork, cover with a piece of foil and a mound of beans and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes or so until the pastry is dry and almost completely baked.
- Steam the cauliflower (or boil in salted water) until tender. Drain well and cool then cut into small florets and chunks to fit the pie plate. Place the prosciutto shreds all over the crust then cover with the cauliflower pieces. In a large bowl, beat the eggs then pour the cream (or cream and milk), then cheese, then add the spices and mix well to combine. Pour the custard over the cauliflower and bake in a preheated oven at 350F till puffy and golden. Serve.
Comments
27 Comments • Comments Feed
Belinda @zomppa says:
I love the natural sweetness of cauliflower – delicious, not to mention gorgeous!
On January 6, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Mariana says:
Oooooh, dear! You had me at this quiche :)) Love cauliflower, I would skip the ham/ prosciutto, though, I’m not a fan, and I would add, instead, some parsley, mint, or green onions. Delicious, but you know that 😛 Love it! Thank you so much! >:D<
On January 6, 2012 at 2:36 pm
MyLittleExpatKitchen says:
Wonderful looking tart Joumana. I love cauliflower cooked in every imaginable way but actually have never tried it in a tart/quiche before. I’m in a tart-baking mode nowadays so… thank you for this!
On January 6, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Rosa says:
Delicious! Cauliflower is such a refined-tasting veggie.
Cheers,
Rosa
On January 6, 2012 at 4:40 pm
Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie) says:
I haven’t made a quiche in years. This is so nice with the prosciutto.
On January 6, 2012 at 8:52 pm
bergamot says:
I have been wanting to try savoury pies for a long time since they are so easy to rustle up in a short time. This seems like a nice recipe…will try it.
On January 6, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Ed Habib says:
I am definately going to try this. I am know at my church as the arnabeet(sp) man,as during lent I usually fry up two cases during presantified liturgies for the pot luck dinner after..People can’t get enough of it. So anything with cauliflower I love.
On January 7, 2012 at 7:24 am
Joumana says:
@Ed: Funny! I love that!
On January 7, 2012 at 9:27 am
Susan says:
I love cauliflower!. My latest post is cauliflower-related too 🙂 This sounds like a delicious version for quiche!
On January 7, 2012 at 11:55 am
TheKitchenWitch says:
I love quiche! There. I said it. I do. And I haven’t made one in forever. Thank you for the reminder to make it soon!
On January 7, 2012 at 11:57 am
pierre says:
je la connaissais pour ces confitures pas pour ses quiches !!Bizz pierre
On January 7, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Culinaire Amoula says:
Ta quiche a l’air délicieuse, je n’ai jamais essayé une quiche au choux fleur, tu me donnes des idées!!!
Merci et Bonne soirée.
On January 7, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Katerina says:
I used to hate cauliflower as a child. Now I love it and I can eat it in any way. Making it as a quiche just increases the pleasure!
On January 7, 2012 at 1:12 pm
createwithmom says:
quiche looks fabulous lovely presentation
On January 7, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Joan Nova says:
That looks delicious…but, then again, anything in pastry with cheese has to be a sure winner! 🙂
On January 7, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Cynthia says:
This is such a great idea!
I have missed not visiting your blog more often. Happy New Year to you and the family.
By the way, I am insanely jealous of your metal table-ware as shown in your other posts. So jealous! 🙂
On January 7, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Asmita says:
The quiche looks delicious and I love your presentation!!!
On January 8, 2012 at 10:40 am
Recettes Gourmandes says:
j’aime beaucoup , c’est très savoureux, merci joumana pour toute les recettes magnifique .
On January 8, 2012 at 2:37 pm
MaryAthenes says:
Tres interessant !
Meilleurs voeux pour une tres belle annee !
Bises
On January 8, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Katie@Cozydelicious says:
This looks fantastic! I adore cauliflower and love the idea of putting it quiche!
On January 8, 2012 at 8:20 pm
Priya says:
Wish to have a slice from this delicious quiche.
On January 9, 2012 at 4:07 am
domi says:
Pour commencer j’ai un gros problème avec ta newsletter qui me refuse l’enregistrement sous prétexte que je suis déjà enregistré et pourtant je ne reçois pas tes news. Et donc je ne savais pas que tu avais fait une belle quiche aux ” fleurs ” mon chou. Passe une belle soirée
On January 9, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Nuts about food says:
I love cauliflower, especially in a quiche.
On January 10, 2012 at 3:04 am
Magic of Spice says:
What a wonderful idea…looks delightful and I agree it would have a more delicate flavor than more typical ingredients. A must try!
On January 10, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Devaki says:
So so so much better than broccoli…wonderful and such fine comfort food!
chow 🙂 Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On January 10, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Trix says:
You always have such great ways to use cauliflower. And you know .. .I am a total tart for tarts!
On January 11, 2012 at 9:59 am