leek, feta and lemon quiche

Last weekend, it felt like we were really starting to see the first signs of Spring. 

With a soul-crushing inevitability though, this week has turned out to be cold and wet and grey. 

Last weekend though, I went out wearing jeans and sparkly flat shoes rather than boots. I bought a light summer coat and some seriously adorable anchor print trousers. It was sunny and, even better, it was warm in the sunshine.

I was full of anticipation for the end of winter and enthusiasm for warmer temperatures. It seemed logical for me to channel that excitement into a quiche. 

I always think of quiche as a summer food mainly because I have a slightly odd aversion to warm quiche. I think/hope that everyone has these funny little quirks about their eating habits and one of mine is most definitely the temperature of food. I like very hot food and I like cold food. I dislike anything in between. The idea of eating something at room temperature makes me feel slightly nauseous. There are some foods that I will only eat hot (like rice, for example) and there are some foods, like quiche, that I will only eat cold.

And so, a slice of quiche should, in my opinion, be enjoyed cold with a light salad and a glass of white wine on a balmy evening. 

Even this week, when it seems like winter is fighting back and I'm glad that I still had a pair of gloves in my coat pocket, a little of this quiche every day for lunch has given me a moment of hope.

~

Leek, lemon and feta quiche

Lightly adapted from Food 52

Yield: Serves 6

This is a really lovely quiche that combines a lot of my very favourite flavours. My pastry was made from whole grain einkorn flour (for more information about einkorn flour, have a look at Shanna's incredibly informative post). For those of you in the UK, Dove's Farm makes a brand of einkorn flour which you can buy direct from them although it's also stocked by Ocado. The 100% whole grain pastry may not be to everyone's taste - I happen to think it works very nicely with the bright flavours of the quiche - so feel free to use your favourite pastry or just, as the original recipe suggests, a sheet of puff pastry. 

Ingredients

• 200g (1 3/4 cups) einkorn flour
• 100g (1 stick less 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cold
• A pinch of salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 leeks, washed and chopped into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup of creme fraiche
• 3 eggs
• The zest of half a lemon
• Black pepper
• 75g (3 oz) crumbled feta cheese

Cooking Directions

1. To make the pastry, whizz together the flour, butter and salt in a food processor until you have little pea-sized lumps of butter. Add the egg and pulse until just combined.
2. Gather the pastry together in a ball, press to flatten and wrap in plastic film. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. When the pastry as chilled, roll it out flat and line a 19cm tart tin (preferably with a removable bottom). Place the tart tin in the freezer for another half an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan). Prick the pastry with a fork and line it with some non-stick paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 8 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 -7 minutes until the pastry is dry to the touch.
5. While the pastry is blind baking, you can make the filling by gently sauteing the leeks in the olive oil over a low heat for 5 - 10 minutes until soft.
6. When the pastry is blind baked, fill it with the cooked leeks.
7. Whisk together the creme fraiche, eggs, lemon zest and a generous grind of black pepper.
8. Pour the liquid over the leeks and top with the crumbled feta. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
9. Serve hot or, as I prefer, cold.