Spring has officially sprung! Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining more often and life is beginning to return after a long, cold winter. Not only is it time for more outdoor activities, the return of warm weather and sweaters to return to their shelves. It is also time for some seasonal ingredients to really shine. And nothing says it’s almost Easter like ham. Yeah…. didn’t think I was going in that direction did you? I know. How did Ham become the official American Easter meal? Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather have it on my table then a poor little rabbit. But honestly… how did we determine all the assigned animals to each holiday? Turkeys are for thanksgiving. Goose used to be necessary on the Christmas table. And for Easter… Ham. I’m sure there is a reason but I digress. Rant over. I’m not a huge lover of ham just on it’s own but I do love it in things. Like split pea soup with ham, cuban sandwiches and definitely, quiches. What is more perfect for a celebratory holiday brunch like a high end, France originated Quiche. France itself shines in the spring, especially Paris. All the flowers are blooming, the cherry trees are blossoming and the sun is shining. It’s tres magnificque!
Have you ever spent Easter in France? I have not and most likely, many haven’t. But they too celebrate the christian holiday with their own special traditions. However, they do not get visited by the Easter Bunny. Their Easter Eggs are delivered by bells. The Easter bells or les cloches de Pâques are significant in the way the French celebrate their Easter Sunday. On Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, church bells across France are silenced to mourn the death of Christ, They then remain silent until Easter Sunday. According to French legend, the bells would fly to Rome to then be blessed by the Pope. They would then begin their journey back to the French churches, but would pick up eggs along the way before scattering them into the gardens. The bells would then ring on Easter Sunday to announce the Resurrection of Christ and therefore ‘return’.
Like many Americans, the French also celebrate Easter by indulging in many Chocolate based treats. Elaborately decorated Chocolate Eggs, delights and desserts often adorn not only Easter baskets, but their Easter dinner table as well. The Easter Dinner is also very important and often features lamb as a sign of renewal and new life.
I, like many others, have fond family memories of Easter Sunday growing up. Waking up Easter morning to find eggs left in the backyard or around the house by the Easter Bunny, seeing what goodies were left by him in my Easter Basket and always having a big breakfast. Traditionally, there was always an assortment of goodies in our baskets, but in the center was always a giant chocolate covered Easter egg. Generally Peanut Butter filled as that was my favorite. My Mother, Judy and I were just recently reminiscing on those eggs and remembered the one year she decided to get creative and made cakes to put in there instead. Don’t get me wrong, they were very good. But when you are used to that Chocolate Peanut Butter egg and cutting it open to find vanilla cake… just a tad disappointing. That was the one and only year those cake eggs showed up hahaha. I was also always very excited to get my Easter dress and possibly a bonnet to go with it.
These days, there’s no dress or bonnet. I don’t want a Giant Chocolate Peanut Butter egg cause then I’ll eat it all and feel guilty. But we do always try to do is spend some time together as a family. Whether it be a brunch or Easter dinner, the important thing is being together. My two Brothers and their families, my Mother and us try to do something. Obviously the past year and such hasn’t allowed for the normal Holiday family traditions to happen. But in the spirit of that, I decided to dive into something that I would make for such an occasion and share it with you!
Quiches originated in France back in the 1800’s and of course it’s most popular version is Quiche Lorraine, featuring Bacon or Lardons. I took the beloved Easter Ham and incorporated it into a French Quiche that can not only be used for your Easter brunch, but utilized for leftovers or any other Spring Brunch or meal. I took a few other ingredients that are not only French, but are also seasonal to this time of year. Goat Cheese, which lets be real, I’ll eat in anything, Asparagus and Dill round out this springtime treat. As David on Schitt’s Creek once quoted: “This quiche is vivacious. And I don’t usually use that term to describe a quiche… but when’s right.” So let’s get started!
So to start off, let’s get this crust going. Now, you can definitely use the pre-bought store crusts that you will find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. They get the job done and obviously are very easy. I myself prefer to make my own crusts. I just find that there is definitely a difference in taste and aren’t too difficult to make. I throw my flour, sugar and salt into my food processor. Then bit by bit, I add super cold cubes of butter in and pulse it until they start to form crumbly pea-sized pieces. After the butter is all added in, I slowly drip several tablespoons of ice cold water in while still pulsing the mixture. The dough will start to come together and more often then not, form into a ball right in the unit.
Pull it out, gather any loose crumbs and knead them in. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. When you are ready to use, remove from the fridge, unwrap and allow to warm up slightly.
Then using a rolling pin, roll out into a circle shape until it is at least 10 inches across. Depending on what kind of pan you are using will determine how big you need to roll it. Truth be told, I had to use a tart pan this time around and not my standard pie pan. Therefore, I had to maneuver my dough to fit appropriately into the pan.
When you are making a pie dough crust, you never EVER want a soggy bottom. The key to doing this is to “Blind Bake” your crust. This will eliminate the possibility of your dough not being cooked on the bottom when you are adding a moist filing. So after you get your dough situated in the pan, line the inside with aluminum foil, taking it up the side to also ensure no shrinkage with your crust. At this point, you traditionally can fill it with pie weights or dry beans to keep the crust from rising too much.
Place your crust in a 350 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. You aren’t going for golden brown here because you are going to be baking it longer with the egg mixture inside. Allow this to cool while you create your egg mixture.
In a large bowl, preferably one with a pourable spout if possible, crack 12 large eggs in and beat until fluffy, Beat in 1/3 cup of heavy cream as well. Using a ham steak or leftover ham, cut medium dice cuts of the ham. They don’t have to be exact, they can be a rough chop even since the meal is already cooked.
Next dice, cut 1/2 inch pieces of fresh asparagus. Add those and the ham into the egg mixture.
Now onto my favorite part, the goat cheese. You can buy it pre-crumbled but I prefer to get my in a small 4 oz log like this. Why? Cause by crumbling it yourself, you are almost creating a guessing game of how much you are going to get in each bite. It’s like goat cheese roulette. Crumble it into the mixture.
Last ingredient, fresh dill. I don’t think there is another herb that screams spring as much as fresh dill does. And fresh dill packs much more of a punch then dried. So rough chop a bit of that and throw it into the pool as well.
Use a spatula to fold in all the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Base how much salt you add to what kind of ham you are using. Remember, ham already contains a lot of sodium, so you don’t want to go nuts. I chose a honey based ham so there is a kick of sweetness there.
Remove your aluminum foil from inside the quiche crust and carefully fill the pie shell with your egg mixture until it is full, leaving about a quarter to a half inch of the crust peaking out.
Carefully, lower it into your oven, being careful not to spill any of the egg out the sides of the crust. If you are using a convection oven, it may be wise to cover your quiche with aluminum foil so that the top and crust doesn’t get too brown before your egg mixture actually cooks.
Bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and egg mixture is solid to touch. Midway through cooking, you can brush your crust with an egg washer to give it a golden brown color.
Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. This can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen to use later.
I find that quiche always pairs well with a salad to lighten up the heaviness that comes with a quiche and to balance out the butter content. This quiche is perfect for many occasions but will find a happy home on your Easter Breakfast table as well!
France’s Ham, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quiche
Serves 6
Prep Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 45 minutes
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar, optional
- 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 stick)
- 3 to 5 tablespoons of ice cold water, without ice cubes
- 1 dozen large eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup chopped ham
- 1 cup fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2 pieces
- 3oz Goat Cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
In a large food processor, add flour, sugar and salt. Add in half of the butter cubes and pulse two or three times to combine. Add in the remaining butter and continue pulsing until dough begins to form in pea sized crumbles.
Slowly add in ice cold water, without ice cubes, and pulse until dough starts to come together. Continue this process until all the water is gone and the dough begins to form a ball. Carefully remove from processor and flatten into a disc.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up until 2 days.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Once chilled, allow dough to soften slightly at room temp. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll dough out into desired shape. Carefully lay into a greased pie pan or tart pan. Arrange dough accordingly, crimping edges or creating desired look.
Line the inside of the crust with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray or oil. Push dough into the crust and up the sides. Fill the inside with dry beans or pie weights.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, beat 12 eggs until fluffy. Mix in heavy cream. Add in ham, asparagus, goat cheese and fresh dill. Fold to incorporate all ingredients. Season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
Carefully pour mixture into crust, leaving a quarter to half an inch of crust showing.
Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes, or until mixture is solid to touch. Half way through cooking process, you may brush crush with a beaten egg for extra sheen and golden color.
Carefully remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with mixed green salad if desired. Enjoy!
Steve
Looks awesome!