Springtime Lunch: Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus is a pretty classic combo and I happen to have Prosciutto in the house, so decided to go with a quiche for lunch. My quiche attempts have been hit-or-miss in the past, with some of them turning out quick dense. This one was light and fluffy though, and which a touch on the salty side (I should have compensated for the saltiness of the Prosciutto more), it was great. The recipe is written for a full-sized quiche (9 inch pan), but I just made a small one for me (6 inch pan). Lunch for tomorrow then too!
Ingredients
for the pastry
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
5-6 asparagus stalks, chopped to 1-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
coarse salt, such as kosher or sea salt
6 ounces gruyere, grated (about 2 cups)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup heavy cream
4 slices very thinly sliced prosciutto
2 tablespoons chives, finely minced
Directions
First make your crust. Blend flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and shortening and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Roll out chilled dough disk between two sheets of plastic wrap, until 1/8-inch thick and 2-inch wider than tart pan. Invert dough into tart pan; press onto bottom and up sides. If dough is soft, chill until firm enough for remaining sheet of plastic to be removed. Trim edges of dough (patch up any holes or tears with extra dough). Chill until firm, about another hour.
Preheat oven to 350F. Line dough with parchment paper or heavy-duty foil, leaving a 1-inch to 2-inch overhang. Fill paper with dried beans or pie weights. Bake tart shell just until dough has dried and does not look wet in any spots, about 20 minutes. (If center still looks wet, bake crust without weights until dried and opaque, a few minutes longer.) Let cool while you make the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 325F.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat olive oil in a medium pan. Add the chopped asparagus, reserving a few of the tips to sprinkle on the top of the quiche. The asparagus should be tender, but not mushy. Scatter the half the grated gruyere over the cooled crust, followed by the asparagus. Whisk sour cream, cream, and eggs in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over the speck and asparagus mixture, then sprinkle on the remaining cheese, the reserved asparagus tips and swirl in the prosciutto on top.
Bake until custard is set and golden brown in spots, 35–40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
