what's for dinner at dr. j's house?!?

a delicious local meal!

photo of Dr. J's quiche, taken with a handy-dandy webcam

Great minds, apparently, think alike! Before I even read the blog today, I was preparing to make a Quiche. I was feeling like a poseur because so far my protein sources have *not* been local. I set forth to make the quiche to top all quiches. 

First, I made a pastry crust. I followed Martha Stewart's recipe for classic Pate Brisee, which is a standard butter crust with no sugar (I halved the recipe, though you could make the whole recipe and freeze half of the crust). I placed the pastry in the fridge to cool, and then stuck a few cloves of garlic in the oven to roast. I also diced up half of a red onion and caramelized it on the stove top with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. 

After the crust had chilled sufficiently--at least an hour--I rolled it out. Next, I draped it into a pie plate or a tart pan (like I did). I froze the crust--cool pastry equals best results. 

While the crust was cooling, I washed and wilted large handfuls of spinach; chopped roasted peppers; thinly sliced yellow and red tomatoes; grated some wisconsin parm; and chiffonaded some basil. 

I combined 2 large eggs with 1 egg white (left over from making creme brulee earlier in the day), about 1/4 cup skim milk, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

I pre-baked the crust at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until just slightly brown. I removed the crust from oven and reduced the oven temp to 375 degrees. Then, I set out assembling the quiche. I spread the roasted garlic on the bottom of the crust, followed by the drained spinach, onions, peppers, and tomatoes. I carefully poured in the egg mixture and sprinkled the cheese on top. The tart baked until the eggs set and the cheese was golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Right before I removed the tart, I sprinkled the basil around the top. 

I allowed the tart to rest for at least 5 minutes before I sliced it into wedges. 

I also ate roasted yukon gold potatoes and roasted broccoli. 

All veggies, dairy, and herbs were locally sourced. The only ingredients not local: flour, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Not bad for a hungry vegetarian locavore.