Not only did I not post anything for a while but I am also not sticking to the Halloween theme. So double apology. I am in a transitory period and all I need at the moment is comfort food. This quiche combines bechamel sauce, lardons and leeks and eaten with a salad it is the best lunch I could ever ask for. And very easy to make. Bechamel will probably be the first thing I will teach my children in the kitchen and I will teach them the exact same way as my grandma did with me.
Leek and Lardon Quiche
Ingredients
-For the shortcrust pastry (or buy a pre-made)
- 250g plain flour
- 125g salted butter
- 1 egg yolk
- splash of water
-For the Bechamel sauce
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 500ml milk
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1tbsp sunflower oil
- 50g emmental
- Pinch of salt
- Pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 250g Lardons
- 2 leeks, washed and roughly sliced
Start with the shortcrust pastry if you are not using one pre-made. Mix the flour and the butter together until soft crumbs. Add the egg yolk and the water and mix until it forms a ball. Leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Then make the bechamel. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and brown the shallots until softened. Add the flour and mix well with the shallots. Add the milk and mix well, leave on medium heat until tiny bubbles starts appearing, but do not let it come to boiling point. At this point turn the heat off, add the seasoning and nutmeg, the emmental, mix we’ll and leave to thicken while you prepare the rest.
Turn the oven to 160C. Roll the pastry to the size of your tart tin, let the extra pastry hanging over the edge of the tin. Pierce little holes with a fork in the pastry and blind bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile fry the lardons in a big pan, when crispy, take them out of the pan and reserve. Add the leeks to the same pan, and use the fat rendered from the lardons to soften the leeks.
When the pastry is ready, take it out of the oven and turn the temperature to 180C. Cut the extra pastry from all around the tin, add the lardons and the leeks and pour the bechamel sauce all over. Bake for 40 minutes at 180C.
Eat with a simple salad for the perfect lunch.
Noémie's kitchen 