Buongiorno mei amici! Today, I will be sharing a yummy favorite
of mine, Homemade Quiche!! I know, I know, it’s not very Italian, but the
filling sure is. Pancetta and Fontina, I mean, how good does that sound,
right? I love quiche; a nicely flaky buttery crust filled with cheesy fluffy
eggy deliciousness mixed with smoky pancetta….mmmmm. The key to a homemade
quiche for me is really making a homemade quiche. Don’t wimp out on me and
purchase a ready made crust, because once you have a homemade crust, you’ll
never believe you ate the other stuff!! I also added some ramps in this recipe
because ramps are only in season very briefly and I like to use them whenever I
can!!! Enjoy!!
Quiche alla Italiana
Crust
2 ½ cups
of unbleached pastry flour (As I’ve said, I only use King Arthur)
¾ teaspoon
salt
1 tbsp.
dried Italian herb mix
1/3 cup
vegetable shortening
1 stick
of cold butter
½ cup
plus 1-2 tablespoons ice water
In a
medium bowl whisk your flour, salt and herb mix. Cut in the shortening until it’s
broken down to small pieces, almost resembling peas. Dice the butter in ½ inch
pieces and cut into the mix, again, until it is broken down into small pieces.
Add the water, only a few tablespoons at a time, mix with a fork. When the
dough is moist enough to hold it together, transfer to a piece of floured parchment
paper. Fold the dough over itself three or four times to really bring it
together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Once 30 minutes
have passed, begin to roll and put the crust in an 11 inch quiche pan. You want
to crust to be around a quarter of an inch thick. Bake partially for 10 minutes
on 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and let it rest while you make your quiche
filling…..
Quiche alla
Italiana
2 tbsp. olive
oil
1 tbsp. garlic,
minced very finely
8 slices of pancetta,
roughly chopped
1 bunch of
ramps, cleaned and chopped (I have to admit, I like my ramps raw, but if you
want to blanch them before adding, I’ll understand!!)
5 eggs
3 egg yolks
½ cup of cream
2 tbsp. dried
Italian herb mix
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. crushed
red pepper
½ cup of
fontina
Preheat your
oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a medium size pan over medium heat. Add you olive
oil and garlic, cook until slightly roasted. Add the pancetta and let it
crisp up, around 10 minutes. While the prosciutto is cooking, whisk together
the eggs, egg yolks, cream, Italian herb mix, salt, pepper and crushed red
pepper. Make sure it is thoroughly whisked. Take your pie pan and spread the
prosciutto/garlic mix in the pie crust. Next, add the chopped ramps. Add the
egg mix and sprinkle with the fontina. Bake for an hour or until the top is set
and slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15
minutes. Remove the quiche from the pan and serve. I love to have this for
brunch with a side of endive with a balsamic reduction. Buon Appetito!!
