Ham, Leek and Gruyere Quiche

Happy belated Easter! I'm guessing lots of you out there have a ton of leftover ham today and I'm also guessing that in a day or two (after one too many ham sandwiches), you'll be pretty desperate for another way to use it up. Here is the cheesy, creamy, delicious answer to your salty conundrum. You're welcome.

 HAM, LEEK AND GRUYERE QUICHE

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Crust:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

2 tablespoons sour cream

ice water, as needed

Filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large leeks, white and light green parts chopped

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch nutmeg

5 large eggs

1 cup shredded gruyere cheese

1 cup diced honey-baked ham

1.      For the crust: Pulse together the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the chilled butter and pulse just until the butter is evenly distributed throughout. Add the sour cream and continue to pulse 2 to 4 more times until just incorporated. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the dough starts to hold together. Add more water as needed.

2.      Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator 30 minutes.

3.      Preheat oven to 375º F. Roll the dough on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick. Roll up the dough using a rolling pin, and gently lift and place it over a deep, 10-inch tart pan. Gently press the dough into all the crevices and trim the overhang to 1/2-inch. Crimp the edges for a decorative finish and use the trimmed dough to patch any holes.

4.      Dock the bottom of the crust with a fork to keep it from puffing up, line with parchment paper and add dried beans to act as pie weights. Place on a large baking sheet and bake until the crust begins to brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the parchment and dried beans.

5.      For the custard: Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat and saute the leeks until they soften and begin to caramelize, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool and reserve.

6.      Whisk the cream, milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Scatter the leeks evenly over the bottom of the crust. Top with the cheese and ham. Pour the custard over the top and place in the oven on a large sheet tray.

7.      Bake until the center is set and the crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

from Kelsey Nixon

adding butter to flour/salt

adding sour cream

dough coming together

dough formed into a disk

leeks

chopping leeks

leeks starting to caramelize

diced ham

dough rolled and put in pan

pie weights

I use whatever grain or bean I have leftover
in the cabinet (in this case it's barley).

blind baked crust

leek layer

gruyere layer

ham layer

pouring in the custard

raw

baked

ham, leek and gruyere quiche

served with roasted asparagus

.