Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche

This recipe is adapted from a basic Quiche Lorraine recipe and can be found in America Test Kitchen's Family Cookbook.  I made mine in a regular pie plate as I do not have a quiche dish. 

1 (9-inch) pie shell (warmed)
4 ounce goat cheese (the log kind)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only sliced thinly
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the leeks until tender, about 5 minutes.  Crumble the goat cheese into the bottom of the warmed pie crust.  Add to this the leeks. 
3. In a bowl with a spout or a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, thyme, pepper and salt. 
4. Place the pie crust containing the goat cheese and leeks into the oven, pull the oven rack out slightly and pour in the egg mixture. 
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of the quiche comes out clean.  Transfer to a baking rack to continue cooling.  Serve warm and enjoy.

Spinach, Garlic and Smoked Gouda Quiche

This is another recipe with is going to shock my mother. I spent most of my life avoiding quiche. I tried this one out only for the blog and guess what, I liked it. I suspect it is the Smoked Gouda that made all the difference. I must admit that I had problems with the crust. I tried using my standing mixer and I think it is time to admit that my $80 stand mixer sucks and upgrade to a Kitchen Aide (hey y'all Christmas is just around the corner..wink...wink...nudge...nudge) This recipe is from the August 2010 issue of Cooking Light. I have of course made some changes.

Crust
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons 1 % milk
1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup 1% milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated smoked Gouda Cheese
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 large eggs

1. For the crust., place the butter in a large mixing bowl; beat with a mixer until light and fluffy. Combine the milk, salt and egg yolk in a small bowl with a whisk. Slowly add the milk mixture to the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, and beat well. Press mixture into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°
3. Unwrap and place the chilled dough on lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a 10 inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze for 15 minutes and then bake it for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
4. To prepare the filling, warm the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the slice garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and saute until completely wilted.
5. Combine milk, smoke Gouda cheese, salt, and eggs in a bowl and stir with a whisk. Add the spinach and garlic to the cheese mixture and stir until combined. Pour complete mixture into the waiting pie shell and bake for 35 minutes.

Cut into 10 wedges. Serves 10, 1-wedge servings. 205 calories, 11 grams of fiber and 12.9 grams of fat.