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.

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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.

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

Poppy Seed Tartlets with Cherry Tomatoes

This is one of my favorite tartlet recipes. What is special about them, is the addition of poppy seeds to the crust. The poppy seeds give the tartlets incredible flavor, which goes perfectly with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. Besides, baked in muffins pans, these tartlets look absolutely adorable!!! The recipe has been adapted from Sarah Banbery's “Tarts” cookbook.

Notes to the recipe : The original recipe called for cheddar cheese. I used Edam cheese in place of cheddar as it’s easier to obtain in Poland. Use what’s more convenient for you. You can also use cream cheese or quark instead of ricotta cheese in this recipe.

Poppy Seed Tartlets with Cherry Tomatoes

For the crust:
225 g all purpose flour
pinch of salt
100 g cold butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2-3 tbsp iced water

For the filling:
24 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
25 g butter
25 g all purpose flour
270 ml milk
salt
pepper
50 g cheddar cheese, grated
100 g ricotta cheese
fresh basil leaves

1. Grease 12 muffin cups.
   
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
   
3. Add the butter and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.
4. Add poppy seeds, iced water and form a dough ball.
5. Roll out the pastry on lightly floured surface and cut out twelve circles ( 5 inches each).
6. Transfer to muffin pan, pressing down gently.
7. Cover with parchment paper and fill with a layer of dried beans.
8. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
9. Preheat the oven to 390 F (200 C).
10. Remove the tartlets from the fridge and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Take out of the oven, remove the beans and parchment paper and set aside.
12. Place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 5 minutes.
13. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and stir until combined.
    
14. Add milk, little by little, stirring thoroughly to avoid lumps.
    
15. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
    
16. Season with salt and pepper.
17. Add the cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
18. Stir in ricotta cheese.
19. Place two cherry tomatoes into each tartlet. Top with 1-2 tbsp béchamel sauce. Bake for 15 minutes.
20. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.

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Przepis po polsku:
Makowe tartaletki z pomidorkami koktajlowymi

Onion Day

As there was Zibelemärit (onion market) in Berne, Switzerland yesterday, Zorra from 1 x umrühren bitte blog has declared 26th November as an Onion Day. She invited food bloggers from all over the world to join the celebration by preparing a dish with onions on 26th November and blogging about it today. Even though I’m not a big fan of onions, there’s one onion recipe I absolutely love! The dish is Red Onion, Feta and Olives Tart and it’s definitely the best savory tart I’ve ever had!!!

The first time I tried this recipe though, it wasn’t that good at all. The mistake I made was omitting balsamic vinegar. I didn’t have balsamic vinegar at home and thought it would taste fine without it too. Well, it didn’t. It turned out that the vinegar was really an essential ingredient in the tart, as without it, the onions came out too sweet. This time, however, I followed the recipe and the result was amazing. The vinegar balanced the sweetness of the onion and sugar mixture and the tart came out delicious. The combination of flavors of sweet (but not too sweet this time) onions and savory feta and olives is absolutely genius.

The recipe comes from the Polish edition of Good Food: 101 Veggie Dishes cookbook and asks for ready puff pastry. I made the pastry myself using Nigella Lawson’s Processor Puff-Pastry recipe from How to Be a Domestic Goddess, I altered the recipe slightly by omitting the lemon juice though. The pastry came out great: buttery, flaky and tender.


Red Onion, Feta and Olives Tart
( adapted from the Polish edition of Good Food:101 Veggie Dishes)

Serves 4

25 g butter
2 large red onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp light brown sugar (e.g. Demerara or Light Muscovado)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
450 g puff pastry (see the recipe below)
100 g feta cheese, crumbled
175 g black olives, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
basil, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400F)

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onions and season to taste with salt. Fry for 10 minutes until golden and soft stirring occasionally. Add sugar and balsamic vinegar, and cook for a further 5 minutes until the juices are reduced and syrupy. Leave to cool.

Roll out the pastry on lightly floured surface. Lightly grease 25 cm (10 inch) tart pan, then line with the pastry. Cover with the onion mix. Scatter the feta and olives over. Drizzle the olive oil over the topping.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is risen and golden and the base is crisp. Top with the basil. Serve with green salad.

Processor Puff-Pastry*
( adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson)

250g strong white flour
pinch of salt
250g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 cm slices
5-6 tablespoons iced water

Pulse the flour and salt together in the processor, then add the butter and pulse 3-4 times, the pieces of butter should still be visible. Add the iced water, and pulse till the pastry begins to form a ball, then form a ball with your hands. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
Dust a surface with flour, roll the pastry out into a long rectangle, and fold it in three like a business letter.Now turn the folded pastry so that if it was a book the spine would be on your left. Repeat twice more, turning every time.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for another half an hour before using it.

* This makes enough for 2 tarts, so you may need to scale the recipe.