Skills you will learn in this recipe
Making a custard filling; layering a quiche
Links to the last recipe
Making pastry; filling & assembling a tart
This leek quiche is one of our all time favourite recipes. It never fails to please and is great for vegetarians too. We’re pretty sure Bibi invented it – we’ve never seen anything close to this recipe in a book or anywhere other than written down by her. We’re not sure where the unusual pastry recipe came from, but it is perhaps the best pastry we ever make!
The combination of flavours is lovely too – there is something about nutmeg and cayenne that really goes with leeks. And the sour cream and cheese give it all a richness, but also a slight tang too. It really is delicious.
You could buy ready made pastry, but this wholemeal pastry is so good with the quiche. And you won’t find anything quite like it in a shop. Also pastry making is fun, and you can follow our Cooking Tips to really dig in to how to do it successfully. It’s not hard at all if you follow the steps methodically. Rubbing in, which is how you start pastry, was one the first skills Estella mastered when she was only small, and anyone can learn to do it.
You’ll also practice again how to line a tin with pastry, and how to bake blind – skills we learnt in the last recipe, Treacle Tart. Detailed instructions are in our lining Tip. Lining the tin is the only slightly tricky bit. But even this is quite forgiving as this particular pastry patches very well if you go wrong or it rips.
You need to start by making your pastry dough. This pastry is the exact one we make in our dough Tip, so please jump there to see detailed pictures and steps for how to make it. You’ll also see more pictures & detailed pastry dough tips in our Treacle Tart recipe.
This pastry is quite odd in that it uses self-raising flour as well as wholemeal flour, and two types of fat – lard and butter. But the combination results in a really short but also quite crisp pastry, perfect for the quiche. You can replace the lard with vegetable fat if you want your quiche to be completely vegetarian. Despite the unusual ingredients, the technique to make it is the same as for all shortcrust-type pastry.
Jake sticks his nose in
You can use normal wholemeal flour in this recipe, but we like to use strong bread wholemeal. It’s more common to find in supermarkets, and also makes the pastry easier to handle.
Leek quiche filling
Once you’ve made your pastry dough and it is chilling, you can prep the other ingredients. To chop leeks, take off the rooty bottom part and, if they are not trimmed down already, part of the green top. You want to leave some green though as it improves both the appearance and strength of leek flavour in the quiche. Slice the leek down its middle, right to the centre. Discard the outer layer or two.
Now slice across the leek so you are creating rounds, all the way down its length. Separate the pieces. You might need to clean your leek once you’ve peeled it, or you might find dirt in the layers as you are chopping. This is fine, just wipe or rinse it off as you go. You’ll also want to put your chopped leeks in a colander or large sieve and give them a good wash at the end.
Jake sticks his nose in
Leeks can be quite dirty, especially if you buy them loose. The dirt gets trapped between the layers, so do rinse your leeks. Even the pre-packed ones can still have some soil in the layers.
Fry the leeks over a medium heat. Test the pan for heat by putting your hand over it before adding. You should be able to feel the heat from the pan on your palm from quite a way up, and the butter should be melted. Fry the leeks until they are slightly softened but still retain some bite, 5 minutes or so, or until they begin to turn slightly translucent.
Jake sticks his nose in
When frying we often use a combination of oil & butter rather than one or the other alone. The butter gives flavour, but the oil helps to stop things from burning.
About half way through frying, you’ll need to add the seasoning – salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Be generous with both the cayenne and nutmeg, they are the key to this dish. Fresh whole nutmeg is better. You’ll need to grate it with a nutmeg grater, or on the fine side of your box greater. But you can also use pre-grated. You could replace the cayenne with any other hot spice, e.g. chilli powder, but cayenne really does work best here. Taste the leeks to ensure you like the flavour and that it is hot, but not too hot. Do bear in mind that the heat level will reduce when you combine the leeks with the other filling ingredients. We like to use a lot!
Making the custard for the filling is easy. Combine the milk and sour cream in a jug, then crack the eggs into another jug or small bowl (you don’t need to separate them for this recipe). Whip up the eggs with a fork then add them to the cream mixture. Whisk it all again with a fork until it is well combined and smooth. You’ll also need to grate the cheese.
We like a mature cheddar for bite, but any hard cheese will work
Assembling, baking & serving the leek quiche
You now need to roll out your pastry, and line the tart tin with it, before part baking it blind. This is just as we did in our Treacle Tart previous recipe. In that post you’ll find more details, tips & pictures for pastry.
Jake sticks his nose in
The best type of tart tin to use here is one with a loose bottom. This makes it easier to remove and serve the leek quiche once cooked.
It’s also the exact pastry in our rolling & baking blind Tip, so jump there to see full details and pictures on how to do it. For this quiche, we do very lightly grease the tin before lining. For most pastry, you don’t need to, but this tart is very prone to bubbling over, so greasing helps prevent the tart from sticking.
Once you’ve rolled out the pastry, and lined the tin, chill the pastry case well. We recommend at least 30 minutes chilling in the fridge, covered in cling film or a plastic bag. But you can make ahead, and chill it for longer.
It is then best to bake the tart case blind for about 10 to 15 mins before filling the tart. Again, you can find full details and pictures on how to do all of this in our baking blind Tip.
Prick the bottom of the tart and line with baking paper and baking weights. Place in a hot oven, 200C (180C fan) for about 10 minutes. Then remove the paper and baking weights, and cook for about another 5 minutes, to dry the surface. You can fill the leek quiche without blind baking (if so, do not prick the bottom), but blind baking gives a crisper result, and prevents a soggy bottom.
Let the tart case cool for a few minutes before filling it, so the cheese doesn’t melt on hitting the base.
Building the quiche is fun. Start with a layer of grated cheese, about half of what you’ve grated or slightly more, making sure the base of the tart case is evenly covered. Then add all the cooked leeks in a single, well distributed layer, and top with the remaining cheese.
You now need to pour in the custard. Ideally you should sieve this first, but it does make it more difficult to fill the tart directly from the sieve. So often we don’t bother – if you have really whipped your eggs and cream up well, it shouldn’t matter. Pour the custard layer all over the cheese, making sure it is evenly distributed and goes right up to the sides of the tin. You can shake the tart gently to distribute it. You want to fill the case right up to the top, but don’t overfill it as the custard may slip over the edge and burn during cooking. It will also be harder to get the leek quiche into the oven without spilling.
Jake sticks his nose in
Be very careful when transporting the leek quiche. It is easy to spill. Also, if your tin has a loose bottom, do not inadvertently press this up as you carry the quiche or your tart will break!
Your leek quiche is now ready to bake! Put it carefully into a pre-heated hot oven (200C or 180C fan), and bake until browned and well set. How long depends on the size of the tart, but usually about 30 or 40 mins.
When done, the custard should be fully set and the top brown. It’s a good idea to turn the leek quiche around by 180 degrees about half way through cooking to help ensure it is evenly browned. If the tart is colouring too fast, particularly the top edge of the pastry, which can colour up before the filling is set, cover the top of the tart loosely with foil. You can test for done-ness near the end of the cooking time by carefully touching the top of the quiche. It should feel firm and springy, not liquidy. Don’t overcook however, as this can make the filling too dry – you want it slightly moist inside. It should look like this:
Once the tart is cooked, take it carefully out of the oven using oven gloves, and leave to cool slightly, a few minutes. You can serve it in slices straight from the tin, or if you are feeling confident, remove the whole quiche from the tin. This looks more professional, but also makes it much easier to cut. We do this by using a large tin to push up the loose bottom.
You might want to loosen the sides of the tin slightly with a knife or palate knife, especially in any slightly burnt areas, as these may cause the tart to stick. To remove, place the tart carefully but firmly on the top of the tin, and push down on the rim. The ring should slide off and you can transfer the tart to a plate. You can also try to remove the tin bottom (or it may slide off naturally) but we don’t tend to bother as it increases the risk of the tart breaking.
The tart can be eaten hot or cold, but is probably nicest just warm. Serve with a salad – or also with new potatoes if really hungry. Today we found some nice salad leaves in the market so made a simple salad from them with radishes and our classic vinaigrette.
This quiche is great for lunch or dinner, and can be made fully vegetarian. It’s great to take to parties too. Bon appetit!
Bibi’s Leek Quiche
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- First make the pastry. Combine both flours in a large mixing bowl and cut both cold fats into small cubes. Add to the flour and rub in thoroughly (to the texture of breadcrumbs). See our rubbing in & dough Tip.
- Add enough cold water to form a dough (start with 2 tablespoons); stir to combine, then bring the dough together into a ball with your hands. Remove onto a floured surface and knead gently. Wrap in cling film or a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for about 10 to 20 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Pre-heat your oven to 200C (180C fan).
- Remove the ends from the leeks and slice down the length to the centre. Remove the outer few leaves, then cut into rounds. Remove any dirt as you go. Separate the rounds of leek, and wash the pieces in a colander or large sieve.
- Gently fry the leeks in the butter and a little oil until soft, then add cayenne pepper to taste and a large grating of fresh nutmeg. Season with salt, and black pepper if required, bearing in mind the cayenne is hot. Set aside to cool.
- Coarsely grate the cheese. Pour the carton of sour cream into a jug and make the total measurement up to half a pint (about 300ml) with single cream or milk. Whip up the eggs with the cream mixture in a jug to combine. See our egg Tip.
- Grease the tart tin very lightly; a loose bottomed one is best. Remove the pastry from the fridge and knead briefly on a floured surface, before rolling to size to fit the tin. Line the tin with pastry, taking care as the pastry is very short and may break. If it does, you can patch it in the tin. See our rolling & lining Tip. Cover with cling film and return the pastry-lined tin to the fridge for at least another 30 minutes, or more.
- If you wish to blind bake the tart case you can do so now. This will give a better result, but it isn’t 100% necessary. If you do, line the pastry case with baking paper & baking beans/weights, and bake for about 10 minutes. Then remove the paper & beans and bake for about another 5 minutes to dry the pastry out. See our blind baking Tip.
- Now assemble the leek quiche. Place half the grated cheese evenly in the base of the lined tin, cover with the cooled leeks, then add the rest of the cheese in an even layer. Sieve in the egg mixture and shake the tin gently to ensure it is evenly distributed.
- Bake in the heated oven for 30-40 mins until fully set and golden on top. If it is colouring too fast, particularly the top edge of the pastry which can colour up before the filling is set, cover the top of the tart loosely with foil.
- The tart can be eaten hot or cold, but is probably nicest just warm. Serve with a salad – or also with new potatoes if really hungry.
- Enjoy!
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