Pumpkin Quiche Encore

Last year I made a pumpkin quiche that was delicious and had very sharp flavors. I wanted to try a softer version, so I traded the thyme for sage and the Parmesan cheese for goat cheese. I love this version, too, maybe even more. Paired with roasted asparagus it makes a for a very nice summer bistro meal which can be eaten warm (as opposed to piping hot).

I loved the crust from the Belgian leek tart so much, I used it here. You can, of course, use a store-bought crust but this crust is incredibly easy to whiz up in the food processor and the improvement in flavor and texture is actually quite astounding. It really is worth the effort.

Pumpkin Quiche (makes one 9” quiche)

Crust

• 4 tbsp. ice water
• ¾ tsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¾ tsp. salt
• ½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Filling

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 4 oz. pancetta, diced
• 10-12 sage leaves, chopped
• 2 eggs plus 2 extra egg yolks
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin purée
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¾ cup crumbled goat cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°. To make the crust, combine 4 tbsp. ice water and cider vinegar in a small bowl. Blend flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, slowly add the water-vinegar mixture, processing until moist clumps form. If dough seems dry, add more ice water by the teaspoon. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours (can be made 3 days ahead). Allow dough to soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
2. Spray a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom or pie pan with cooking spray. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a 12-inch round. Transfer the dough to the tart pan; fold in the overhang and press to extend the dough ½ inch above the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the freezer for 30 minutes (this will prevent the crust from shrinking). Remove the crust from the freezer, line the pan with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is set, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake another 20-25 minutes until the crust is pale golden. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
3. Heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the pancetta and sauté until crisp, 5 minutes. Add the sage and cook until crisp, another 1-2 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin, and cream together and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the warm crust. Sprinkle the pancetta and sage on top. Ladle the egg mixture into the pastry. Bake until nicely browned, about 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Quiche with Pancetta, Parmesan, and Thyme

Pumpkin again! This time I thought I would make a quiche with pumpkin, pancetta, Parmesan cheese, and fresh thyme. Not only did it work really well – the pumpkin helps give it a velvety custard consistency – the flavors were intense. This is a fairly strong dish; one small slice with a light salad on the side makes for a very satisfying meal.

The pumpkin works well with the strong flavors but I would like to make this again to try a more subtle version for comparison. My thought is to mellow the sharpness by replacing the Parmesan cheese with sweeter, creamier goat cheese and to perhaps eliminate the thyme altogether.

Pumpkin Quiche (makes one 9” quiche)

• Pie crust
• 1 tsp. olive oil plus extra to grease pan
• 4 oz. pancetta, chopped
• 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin
• 1 ½ cups light cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme
  Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Brush a quiche or pie pan with olive oil. Roll the pie crust until it is 12” across. Put the pastry it in a the pan. Press some foil into the middle so it won’t puff. Bake for 10 minutes. Discard the foil.
2. Heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté until crisp, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
3. Turn the oven down to 375°. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin, and cream together. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pancetta, thyme, and black pepper. Ladle the egg mixture into the pastry. Bake until nicely browned, about 30 minutes.
   

Shiitake-Pancetta-Spinach Quiche

My mother makes a fabulous shiitake mushroom quiche. Although mine are never as good as hers, I did make a variation adding pancetta and spinach to the shiitake mushrooms. I got lazy and used a store-bought pie crust but there is so much flavor in the filling that it doesn’t really matter. It looks like a heavy dish with so much cream but it’s very filling and a small slice is very satisfying.


Shiitake-Pancetta-Spinach Quiche (makes one 9” quiche)

• Pie crust
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 4 oz. pancetta, chopped
• 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 9 oz. baby spinach
• 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups light cream
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Roll the pie crust until it is 12” across. Put the pastry it in a quiche or pie pan. Press some foil into the middle so it won’t puff. Bake for 10 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté until it begins to crisp, 2-3 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms and sauté until golden, about 4-5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted. Remove from heat.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and cream together. Stir in the cheese. Scatter the mushrooms, pancetta, and spinach over the bottom of the pastry. Ladle the egg mixture on top. Bake until nicely browned, about 30 minutes.
   

Asparagus Pancetta Risotto

I had planned to make a completely different risotto but the asparagus looked so great at the grocery store that I had to get it. So I needed a new game plan. I debated whether to get pancetta or prosciutto to go with it but decided on pancetta because the flavor is a little more subtle and I wanted the asparagus to be the star of the dish.

Asparagus Pancetta Risotto (6 servings)

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• ¼ lb. pancetta, chopped
• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
• 6 cups chicken stock
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces and steamed

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp. Add the rice and toast, stirring constantly, until the rice is coated and has become translucent, about 2 minutes.
2. Add ½ cup of stock and cook, stirring constantly, until it is almost completely absorbed. Continue to add stock ½ cup at a time, stirring, waiting until it is absorbed before adding the next batch.
3. After all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked (it should still have a slight “bite”), stir in the Parmesan cheese and the asparagus.