Cauliflower quiche

January 6, 2012  •  Category: ,


Christine Ferber is a famous French pastry chef in France (and internationally) who was named the jam fairy; she also specialized in tarts and quiches inspired by her native Alsace. I had one of her paperback books Mes Tartes sucrées et salées (Sweet and Savory tarts) laying around and this quiche is loosely inspired by one of her recipes.

Filling a quiche with cauliflower instead of, say, broccoli, makes for a lighter-tasting tart  despite its richness. If you like to make a gratin with cauliflower, you will adopt the quiche idea. The cauliflower is steamed or boiled first, drained, cut into florets and set on the pre-baked crust on top of shreds of prosciutto or ham. A rich custard encases the pastry and baked till puffy and golden.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Crust: 2 cups of flour, dash of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (4 ounces or 125 g.)
  • 1 tbsp of whipping cream or milk or more as needed
  • Custard:
  • 1/2 of a large cauliflower
  • 3/4 cup of shreds of prosciutto or ham
  • 6 eggs plus  2 egg whites
  • 2 cups of whipping cream or 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1/2 cup of grated parmesan
  • 1 1/2 tbsp of grainy mustard
  • Spices: 1/4 tsp of white pepper, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, 1 1/2  tsp of paprika, 1/4 tsp of black pepper

METHOD:

 To make the crust: 

  1. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor; mix to combine well. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture looks sandy. Add the egg and mix, adding the tablespoon of cream or milk through the feed tube. As soon as the pastry holds together, stop the machine and transfer onto a piece of wax paper; gather the dough into a bowl, wrap and place in the fridge for one hour or overnight.
  2. When ready, bring to room temperature. Roll out on a large piece of wax paper. Flip onto a greased and floured pie plate. Prick all over with a fork, cover with a piece of foil and a mound of beans and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes or so until the pastry is dry and almost completely baked. 
To prepare the custard:
  1. Steam the cauliflower (or boil in salted water) until tender. Drain well and cool then cut into small florets and chunks to fit the pie plate. Place the prosciutto shreds all over the crust then cover with the cauliflower pieces.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs then pour the cream (or cream and milk), then cheese, then add the spices and mix well to combine. Pour the custard over the cauliflower and bake in a preheated oven at 350F till puffy and golden. Serve.

 

NOTE: If desired, you can brush the crust with a bit of beaten egg after baking it first for ten minutes, then bake it again for 5 or so; the egg will help keep the crust flaky and will give it a nice sheen.
Update: I made this quiche again, adding a touch (teaspoon) of turmeric+ ground cumin or curry. Much better!

Comments

27 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Belinda @zomppa says:

    I love the natural sweetness of cauliflower – delicious, not to mention gorgeous!

  2. Mariana says:

    Oooooh, dear! You had me at this quiche :)) Love cauliflower, I would skip the ham/ prosciutto, though, I’m not a fan, and I would add, instead, some parsley, mint, or green onions. Delicious, but you know that 😛 Love it! Thank you so much! >:D<

  3. MyLittleExpatKitchen says:

    Wonderful looking tart Joumana. I love cauliflower cooked in every imaginable way but actually have never tried it in a tart/quiche before. I’m in a tart-baking mode nowadays so… thank you for this!

  4. Rosa says:

    Delicious! Cauliflower is such a refined-tasting veggie.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  5. Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie) says:

    I haven’t made a quiche in years. This is so nice with the prosciutto.

  6. bergamot says:

    I have been wanting to try savoury pies for a long time since they are so easy to rustle up in a short time. This seems like a nice recipe…will try it.

  7. Ed Habib says:

    I am definately going to try this. I am know at my church as the arnabeet(sp) man,as during lent I usually fry up two cases during presantified liturgies for the pot luck dinner after..People can’t get enough of it. So anything with cauliflower I love.

  8. Susan says:

    I love cauliflower!. My latest post is cauliflower-related too 🙂 This sounds like a delicious version for quiche!

  9. TheKitchenWitch says:

    I love quiche! There. I said it. I do. And I haven’t made one in forever. Thank you for the reminder to make it soon!

  10. pierre says:

    je la connaissais pour ces confitures pas pour ses quiches !!Bizz pierre

  11. Culinaire Amoula says:

    Ta quiche a l’air délicieuse, je n’ai jamais essayé une quiche au choux fleur, tu me donnes des idées!!!

    Merci et Bonne soirée.

  12. Katerina says:

    I used to hate cauliflower as a child. Now I love it and I can eat it in any way. Making it as a quiche just increases the pleasure!

  13. createwithmom says:

    quiche looks fabulous lovely presentation

  14. Joan Nova says:

    That looks delicious…but, then again, anything in pastry with cheese has to be a sure winner! 🙂

  15. Cynthia says:

    This is such a great idea!

    I have missed not visiting your blog more often. Happy New Year to you and the family.

    By the way, I am insanely jealous of your metal table-ware as shown in your other posts. So jealous! 🙂

  16. Asmita says:

    The quiche looks delicious and I love your presentation!!!

  17. Recettes Gourmandes says:

    j’aime beaucoup , c’est très savoureux, merci joumana pour toute les recettes magnifique .

  18. MaryAthenes says:

    Tres interessant !
    Meilleurs voeux pour une tres belle annee !
    Bises

  19. Katie@Cozydelicious says:

    This looks fantastic! I adore cauliflower and love the idea of putting it quiche!

  20. Priya says:

    Wish to have a slice from this delicious quiche.

  21. domi says:

    Pour commencer j’ai un gros problème avec ta newsletter qui me refuse l’enregistrement sous prétexte que je suis déjà enregistré et pourtant je ne reçois pas tes news. Et donc je ne savais pas que tu avais fait une belle quiche aux ” fleurs ” mon chou. Passe une belle soirée

  22. Nuts about food says:

    I love cauliflower, especially in a quiche.

  23. Magic of Spice says:

    What a wonderful idea…looks delightful and I agree it would have a more delicate flavor than more typical ingredients. A must try!

  24. Devaki says:

    So so so much better than broccoli…wonderful and such fine comfort food!

    chow 🙂 Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

  25. Trix says:

    You always have such great ways to use cauliflower. And you know .. .I am a total tart for tarts!

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