Smoked Salmon, Leek and Goat's Cheese Quiche

Let me start by saying that quiche isn’t a common dish in Poland. The first time I ate quiche as a teenager on a school trip to London. I didn’t know what exactly a quiche was at that time, and, to be honest, I thought that it must have been English rather than French dish. Shouldn’t they serve us English food on a trip to England after all?

I truly discovered the whole concept of quiche only later in Quebec. I was surprised how easy and quick it is to make. All you need is a pastry crust, eggs , cream (or milk) and filling of your choice: bacon in case of famous quiche Lorraire, or other fillings such as fish, veggies, herbs... whatever you like.

In today’s recipe I used smoked salmon, leek, goat's cheese and a little bit of chives. The goat cheese flavour was subtle, yet palatable and it paired very well with the salmon. The addition of chives made the quiche taste light and refreshing. It’s a wonderful dish on the day when you cook it, but also reheated in the oven next day. I suspect some of you might like it cold too- anyway, I do ;-)

Smoked Salmon, Leek and Goat's Cheese Quiche



FOR THE CRUST:
250 g all purpose or pastry flour, sifted
150 g cold butter, cut into cubes
4 tbsp iced water
pinch of salt

FOR THE FILLING:
200 g smoked salmon
1 leek (white part only)
1 tbsp olive oil
100 g soft goat cheese
1 cup (250 ml) milk (at least 2% fat)
3 extra large eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chives, chopped
salt
pepper

1. Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks crumbly. While the motor is running, add water, spoon by spoon to form smooth dough. Transfer to a flat surface and knead slightly to form a ball.
2. Grease the tartlet pans with butter. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Line up the tartlet pan. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and fill with baking weights or uncooked peas or beans. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C ). Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, take out from the oven and remove the parchment paper and weights.

TO PREPARE THE FILLING:
1. Slice the leek. In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil, cook the leek until tender but not brown.
2. Cut the salmon into small pieces.
3. In a bowl beat slightly the eggs and milk. Add crumbled goat cheese and chives. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
4. In a separate bowl combine pieces of salmon and leek. Arrange in the tart shell. Cover with the egg and milk mixture.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before unmolding so that the batter sets, then serve.

Print the recipe

Recipe in Polish/Przepis po polsku:
Quiche z wędzonym łososiem, porem i kozim serkiem

Smoked Salmon, Leek and Tomato Tartlets

- I feel like smoked salmon, I said to my husband as the ideas for salmon dishes were appearing one by one in my head: Norwegian Soup, pasta with salmon and capers, smoked salmon and lemon risotto, a few tasty tarts and tartlets recipes... We opted for the last one. I started with a recipe for smoked salmon tartlets from Sarah Branbery’s book Tarty i tartalrtki (Tarts and tartlets). I replaced half of the salmon with leek and tomatoes and used duck egg yolks in the place of chicken one - they’re larger and have milder flavor.

We ate the tartlets for dinner topped with a splash of sour cream and fresh dill and lots of green lettuce on the side. They were delicious. Delicate flesh of salmon and pieces of vegetables covered with creamy yolk and crème fraîche mixture simply melt in your mouth. They actually taste a lot like a quiche, but since there are no whole eggs in the recipe (just egg yolks), I guess “tartlet” is probably more proper name here, is it?

Since quiche is one of my husband’s favorite dishes I couldn’t wait to hear if he liked them. When, after his first bite, he put his fork and knife away, I was sure he didn’t enjoy them as much as I did. I wouldn’t be surprised. All in all, he has been eating quiches for all his life and this was my first quiche-like recipe.

-And? How do they taste?, I asked with curiosity

After a long while of silence, I was relieved to hear an answer:

- They’re similar to quiche, but... better. Honestly, it’s the best quiche I’ve ever had in my life.

Then he said something more, but since I’ve promised I wouldn’t write it here, I cannot tell you ;-)

Bon appétit!!!

Choose large egg yolks for this recipe. I used egg yolks of duck eggs, but chicken egg yolks will work just as fine.

Smoked Salmon, Leek and Tomato Tartlets

Makes 6

FOR THE CRUST:
125 g all purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
75 g cold butter, cut into pieces
2-3 tbsp iced water (place the water for a few minutes in the freezer before using)

FOR THE FILLING:
120 ml ( ½ cup) crème fraîche
1 teaspoon horseradish
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon capers
salt and pepper
½ leek (white part only)
1 tbs olive oil
1 large tomato or 4-5 cherry tomatoes
100 g smoked salmon
dill, chopped

TO PREPARE THE CRUST:
1. Grease the tartlets pans with butter.
2. Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add water spoon by spoon to form smooth dough. Knead the dough lightly.
3. Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface. Line up the tartlets pans.
4. Place a piece of parchment paper over each tartlet and fill with baking weights or uncooked peas or beans. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C )
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and weights and set aside.

TO PREPARE THE FILLING:
1. Slice the leek. In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil, cook the leek until tender but not brown.
2. Peel and seed the tomato. Cut into small cubes and drain on a paper towel.
3. Cut the salmon into small pieces.
4. In a bowl combine crème fraîche, horseradish and capers. Season with ½ teaspoon lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add egg yolks and stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl combine pieces of salmon, leek and tomatoes. Gently combine the two mixtures together.
6. Spoon into pre-baked pastry. Bake for 15 minutes. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before unmolding. Serve.

Print the recipe

Recipe in Polish:
Tartaletki z wędzonym łososiem, porem i pomidorami

Corn Soup

I had never been a fan of corn. So, when my friend, M. had given me a recipe for corn soup, I put it away with no intention of using it. A few years later, at a fair in Quebec city, it happen to me to order a spinach tart with which I was served cream corn soup. The soup really surprised me. It had beautiful pale yellow color and tasted much much better than any other corn dish I’ve ever tried. In fact it was one of the best cream soups, I’ve ever eaten. Back in Poland I looked for the recipe my friend had given to me, and decided to make corn soup myself. The soup came out mild and creamy, very similar to the one I had eaten in Quebec. The only difference is that the soup I had in Canada was served plain, while my friend’s soup is served with leeks and carrots, which makes it even more delicious :)

When I found out that Zorra from 1 x umrühren bitte blog has asked food bloggers for cooking yellow dishes for International Women's Day, I thought right away about making the corn soup. Zorra has chosen yellow as it’s the color of Mimosa, a flower which is given to women on their day in some countries. Also in Poland women receive flowers, chocolates and other gifts on their day (the flowers don’t really have to be yellow though). I’ve already received 4 boxes of chocolate today, a bottle of wine and, even thought there’s no tradition of giving yellow flowers in Poland, I've got a beautiful yellow tulip from my husband:)

Corn Soup

1 can (400 g ) corn
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
½ cup heavy cream
½ l vegetable stock
1 tbsp butter
½ leek, sliced
salt
white pepper
paprika

1. Boil sliced carrots in lightly salted water until desired tenderness. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, just until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add corn and vegetable stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the corn is tender.
4. Remove from the heat and puree using a hand blender until smooth.
5. Return the soup to the pan; add cream, leek and carrots. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until the leek is tender.
6. Season with salt, white pepper, and paprika.

Przepis po polsku:
Zupa kukurydziana