Recipe Box, Spring Has Sprung Puff Pie

the Painted Apron

9 years ago

We enjoyed the Puff Pastry crust in the recent Creamy Chive Potato Pie so much, I couldn’t wait to try another combo

I have found that gently stretching puff pastry dough with my fingers works better for me than trying to roll it out

Stretch it gently to fit your pan, trim excess with scissors and patch to form a crust

Layer in cooked pancetta, sauteed leeks, and top with 1/2 of the cheese

Microwave asparagus wrapped in a kitchen towel on high for 2 minutes

Make a layer on top and cover with remaining cheese

Dish can be refrigerated at this point for baking later

If using a spring form pan, it’s always a good idea to insure no leaks by wrapping it in foil and baking it on top a cookie sheet

My go to formula for quiche is 1 cup 2 % milk or half and half cream, and 4 large beaten eggs. If this doesn’t seem to be enough liquid to fill your pie, you can always add another egg and a little more milk

Season mixture well with salt and pepper and add any additional seasoning, such as nutmeg, mustard, or Italian seasoning, depending on what your ingredients are. Fresh herbs on top are a welcome addition too.

Spring Has Sprung Puff Pie

This is a quiche made with puff pastry instead of pie crust, a wonderful way to celebrate Spring! Serve it for brunch, dinner or a side dish

Course Brunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Servings 6

Equipment

9 or 10 inch springform pan

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry thawed*
4 oz. chopped pancetta
1 large leek
1 bunch asparagus 20-24 spears
4 oz. Manchego cheese grated
4 large eggs
1 cup milk or half and half or cream
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 tsp butter
pinch sugar

Instructions

Gently stretch dough to thin it out and enlarge it to fit your pan. Place dough in a cooking oil sprayed spring form pan, quiche dish or casserole. Trim off square corners with scissors and use scraps to patch dough to fit pan and make crust.
Saute pancetta in skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes or until crisp. Drain well on paper towels. Put pancetta on top of crust bottom
Clean leek carefully and slice thinly, discarding the large outer green stalks. Saute in skillet in the rendered pacetta fat, adding a little butter and olive oil if needed. Add a pinch of sugar. Saute leeks over medium until they start to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Put leeks on top of pancetta in crust. Sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese.
Snap off tough ends of asparagus and rinse. Wrap stalks in a clean dish towel and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove from towel and arrange on top of crust. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Pie can be covered and refrigerated at this point until baking.
Beat eggs, add milk and combine. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into crust letting mixture seep into all the nooks and crannies. Add more liquid if necessary. Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes until golden and set in the center. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 4-6 servings

Notes

*Puff pastry should be thawed in the refrigerator or for 40-60 minutes max at room temperature for ease in handling. If pastry gets too warm it will stick together and be a hot mess to work with.

Cover the outside bottom of spring form pan with foil, just in case, and cook on a baking sheet so it can’t leak out into your oven.