Quiche alla Italiana- Pancetta and Fontina!!

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!! 

Mocha Fudge Brownie Pie in a Whole Wheat Crust

Who doesn’t love pie? No one raised their hands, right?!?! I didn’t think so!  The other night, I really wanted a piece of pie. But…I also really wanted a brownie. What to do? Well..Brownie Pie of course!! But not just any brownie pie, I’m talking about my Mocha Fudge Brownie Pie in a Homemade Whole Wheat Crust. I know it seems funny to make the crust whole wheat given that I’m making a very intense brownie filling, but as I’ve said in the past, I try to make healthy alternatives where I can, so every little bit counts. 

This brownie filling is insane…it’s fudgy, rich, chocolaty and incredible. If you bake it the right way, the inside is creamy, like a baked pudding and the top is set, just the way I like it. You can easily make the same crust using all purpose flour; it’s a very basic crust, it’s not sweet, but trust me, you don’t want it to be because the filling is sweet enough!! I also make the crust using my Vitamix, but you can certainly use another food processor or pastry blender. The crunch from the crust is a great contrast to the creaminess of the brownie. If you love chocolate and you love pie, this is the dessert for you!! Enjoy!!

Mocha Fudge Brownie Pie in a Whole Wheat Crust

Whole Wheat Crust

1 ¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ tsp. sea salt

1/3 cup butter

5 tbsp. cold water

Place flour, sea salt and butter in food processor. Blend until butter is cut throughout the flour and the mix almost looks like crumbs. Slowly add the water until the dough forms a ball. If it doesn’t form a ball, you may not to add a little more water, eyeball it. Roll out your dough on a floured surface. Place your pie pan or tin on top of the crust and carefully flip it over. If there is dough hanging off the sides of the pan, I like to fold it over and crimp it. Poke little holes in the crust with a fork, you don’t want the pie to puff. Bake in the oven on 350 degrees for ten minutes and then take it out of the oven. Let it set. You can now prepare the filling…

Mocha Fudge Brownie

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 ounces milk chocolate

4 ounces dark chocolate

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

3 eggs

1 cup of sugar

3 tbsp. espresso powder

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup flour

¼ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt the butter slowly in a bowl over simmering water. Add all of the chocolate and stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, espresso powder and vanilla until light and fluffy, around 3-5 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Fold the flour mix into the batter until combined. Pour in the pie shell and bake for 30-45 minutes depending on your oven. You will want to top to set, but it is okay if the inside is soft, you want it that way!!! Once the pie is done, take out of the oven and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Slice and enjoy with a dollop of homemade whipped cream! Buon Appetito!!