Ratatouille Quiche

My grandma was a self proclaimed terrible cook. She had no interest in the kitchen what so ever, but she still had her moments of inspiration. She made some amazing things, that I crave to this day. Everything she made was prepared simply. By cooking with minimal seasoning her dishes relied on the flavors and quality of the ingredients she used. Her steamed zucchini with butter and Parmesan cheese was the inspiration for this weeks delightful bite.

Until recently I was under the impression that quiche was a challenging dish to prepare. A friend who had been experimenting with a variety of quiche dispelled that myth. I may never be the same.

If you've ever wanted to impress your dinner guests without breaking a sweat try this quiche. You'll look like a rock star every time.

Now, I made my own crust for this quiche. It is excellent and a snap to make. If you don't feel inspired then use your favorite store bought crust and this will be on the table in about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Ratatouille Quiche

Crust
2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup Yellow cornmeal
3/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Unsalted butter
6 tbsp ice cold water

Filling
5 Medium zucchini
1 Small leek trimmed
4 cloves garlic minced
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp italian seasoning
3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp butter
6 tbsp Parmesan cheese
6 eggs
2/3 cup Heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
additional salt and pepper to taste

To make the crust: Stir together the flour, cornmeal, and salt ina large bowl. Using a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.





Once you get it to this point you want to start adding the water one table spoon at a time until the dough comes together. Knead well and seperate the dough into two equal sized balls. Form into disks, wrap with plastic wrap and refridgerate for at least an hour.

While the dough is chilling start the quiche filling. This is important because you'll want the filling to have cooled significantly before putting the quiche together.

Slice the leek and set aside. Slice the zucchini into rounds about 1/4 of an inch in thickness. Heat the extra virgin olive oil and butter in a 12" non stick skillet on medium high heat. Once the butter has melted add the leeks and garlic. Saute until the leeks have softened season with salt, pepper and italian seasonings. Once you see the leeks begin to go from translucent to golden add the tomatoes. Continue to simmer the tomatoes for a few minutes until some of the moisture evaporates. Add the zucchinis and cook until tender. It's very important not to overcook the zucchini because they will continue to cook in the oven. As soon as this mixture is ready pull it off the stove and place in a bowl to cool.

Now for your pie crusts. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured surface roll out both disks to a 14" circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit each crust into a 9" pie pan. Trim the pastry and crimp edges.

Whether you made your crusts or are using store bought crusts remember to pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork and/or use parchment paper and pie weights to keep the crust from bubbling. Place the crusts into a 425 degree oven and bake until they start to get a little color. It should take just about 10 minutes.

Pull the crusts out of the oven and allow to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Once the crusts have cooled sprinkle 1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese on the bottom of each crust. Then split the zucchini mixture evenly between both crusts and sprinkle 2tbsps of Parmesan cheese on top of the mixture.

In a medium bowl beat the eggs, heavy cream, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of pepper together. Pour half the egg mixture in each pie crust. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. (You can test at 30 minutes, if a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean it's done.)

Voila! You're done. Serve with your favorite salad.