Quiche aux poireaux, courgettes, poivron rouge

Do you ever go through phases of obsessively eating, or cooking one thing? A friend of mine, when she first moved to France, was offered foie gras too many times. Seven years later, she still has an aversion to it. Another friend devoured so many blueberries she started turning blue! My friend V had a strong addiction to a certain chain's Korean style chicken wings for a while, and then she couldn't eat it for a while.

Moi, lately my cooking has centered around the Asian kitchen. Could it be related to my new bamboo steamer, the latest "gadget" in my repertoire? Or my well-stocked Asian pantry? Actually come to think of it, my newfound appreciation for Asian but in particular Chinese cuisine started a few years ago with a book my good friend S gifted me. Serve the People, an American-Chinese journalist's account of eating her way through China, really sparked my interest in Chinese cuisine and in visiting China too, so I could eat knife-cut noodles and taste the heat of schezuan peppercorns. After reading that, I quickly moved on to Fuschia Dunlop's book, and then another one whose name I can't remember now. Funny how I grew up wanting to eat anything but Chinese food except of course, Mom and co's homecooked meals.

Anyway, the other day, I thought I'd attempt cooking something very French to balance all the Asian meals. You know, ying and yang. My French dish of choice? Quiche aux poireaux, courgettes, et poivron rouge.
My first attempt at quiche resulted in a total inedible disaster. I don't remember what went wrong exactly, but it was so bad that I didn't dare try again until now. So as not to repeat myself, I did some due diligence online and then as always, I improvised the recipe to what was available in my fridge and pantry.

MAKING THE PÂTE BRISÉE
Pâte brisée (hand method because I don't have my Kitchenaid, or a food processor here)
250g flour (I used type 55 French flour)
125g cold butter (unsalted)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
1 egg yolk (I used one from a medium egg, but I'm sure you can use a large egg too)
Enough cold water to hold the dough together

1. In a large bowl, weigh out the flour. Then add the salt and sugar. Stir ingredients together.
2. Remove the cold butter from the fridge and cut into very thin slices, doing it quickly so as not to melt the butter with your fingertips.
3. Press the butter into the flour mixture, incorporating it well.
4. Form a hole in the middle of the flour mixture, and add 1 egg yolk. Then add a little bit of water on top of the egg yolk.
5. Mix the egg  and water together, using two fingers, breaking the yolk and stirring until you get a nice yellow pool.
6. Next, gradually incorporate a little flour at a time, until you have a nice yellow ball of dough.
7. Knead the dough for 2 minutes (or so) until everything is incorporated and the dough ball is pretty smooth.
8. Rest the dough ball uncovered at room temperature for AT LEAST 30 minutes.
9. Pre-heat your oven to 180C (375F).

While the dough is resting, PREPARE YOUR FILLING
1. Thinly slice 2 whole leeks (green and white parts, wash very well to remove sediment)
2. Julienne 1 small zuchinni.
3. Add a little butter into a large pan under medium high heat. Cook the leeks for a few minutes, covering the lid so the green parts become soft. Try a little to make sure it's mostly cooked through.
4. Add the zucchini. No need to cover the pot now.
5. Turn off the heat, now add the red pepper.
6. In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs.
7. To the bowl, add 200ml of whole milk, 200ml creme cru (which is what I had on hand, but if not, add some whole milk, or whipping cream), some salt and pepper and 2 pinches of herbs de provence. Or whatever basil, or rosemary, or thyme.
8. Stir everything well without beating it too much.

ROLLING OUT THE DOUGH
1. When your dough is rested, roll it out on a lightly floured surface - make it big enough to cover your tart pan. I used a 10" Teflon tart pan with ridges around it.
2. When it's the thickness you like, fold the rolled out dough in half (or quarter) and place it into your pan.
3. Carefully unfold the rolled out dough into the pan, making sure to push the dough a little bit (1/8") above the rim of the pan. This is because sometimes the dough drinks and your filling may spill over.
4. To make a decorative edge for your quiche, press the edge of a fork into it.
5. Prick the bottom with a fork few times, maybe 1/2" apart.
6. Place a piece of foil on top of the dough - then add some pie weights, beans, or uncooked rice to weigh down the foil.
7. Bake for 8 minutes in your pre-heated oven.
8. Remove the foil and weights, then bake for another 2 minutes.
9. Cool crust for a few minutes.

FILLING THE CRUST
1. Pour the egg mixture into the crust.
2. Dot the top of the quiche with a good handful (1/3 cup) of cheese. I used emmentaler, but next time, I might use that stinky Tomme de Savoie cheese from the market.
3. Place into middle rack to cook for 25 minutes until the filling is puffed up and the crust is a golden brown. I stick a toothpick into the middle of the quiche to check for doneness.
4. Serve with a salad and wine of your choice!

Next time, I will try another version with spinach, bacon, and tomatoes and maybe another with leek and salmon. The sky's the limit here!