Leek and Tomato Quiche

Dan and I used to run a bed and breakfast.  We loved it and the experience was very rewarding, but it wasn’t as glamorous as it sounds.  Like when we did laundry and cleaned bathrooms.  Every. Single. Day. One of the biggest downsides for me? Willing my stomach not to growl as I fed delicious food to our guests.  They often invited us to eat with them, but I never quite felt that would be appropriate.  Many, many mornings I waited anxiously for guests to clear the breakfast table, then raced Dan to the kitchen to devour whatever was left over. (Just to be clear – NOT from our guests plates, but extra pancakes, home fries, etc.)

My favorite mornings were the ones when we made this quiche.  The acidity of the tomatoes perfectly cuts through the decadence of the Gruyère.  If you’re trying to save money, you can always go with Swiss.  But, personally, I think the Gruyère gives the dish that extra je-ne-sais-quoi that’s going to leave people talking.  Also, did I mention this quiche is addictive? You might want to seriously consider making more than one.  Consider yourself warned.

Leek and Tomato Quiche (loosely adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 2 tbs Butter
• 2 cups sliced leeks
• 1 pie crust (I use a Pillsbury one that you can buy in your grocery’s dairy section when I want to cheat aka all the time)
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Romano cheese
• 1 tbs all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream (you can also use whole milk if you prefer)
• 2 Roma tomatoes thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the leeks until soft.  Meanwhile, lay the pie crust in a deep dish pie pan or quiche pan.  Please note: it is important to use a deep dish pan here! If you use a regular pie pan, your quiche will not fit.  And that’s never fun.  Spread the softened leeks in the bottom of the pie crust.  Mix the flour with the cheeses and layer them on top.  Mix the eggs with the cream or milk, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the egg/cream mixture into the pie crust.  Arrange the tomatoes around the top of the quiche.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Reduce the heat to 325 and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the crust is browned and a knife inserted into the quiche comes out clean.

Serve with a simple green salad.  Enjoy!

*Note: If you’d like to make this ahead, you can! Just take it out of the oven about 5 minutes early – just before it starts to brown on top.  Pop it in the fridge overnight.  The next morning, reheat in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until heated through.

All photos by Kristen Pinkham for The Loud and Clear