I came across a file of recipes just recently, which seems to happen when I take a few hours to organize files, notes and any other loose articles stuffed into boxes. Someday I will have all of those loose ends neatly archived. One particular file had a lot of quiche recipes that I had done some time ago, so I thought  to revive and re-edit. 

Today’s quiche recipe is a spinach quiche but with prosciutto and Cotswold cheese that makes it a bit more interesting. In terms of re-editing, I wanted much more than a delicious quiche, but more dimension than previous versions. Thinking outside a bubbly golden top, giving a quiche some interest made me wonder about what is to be inside should show on the outside. 

Placing prosciutto on the top has giving this quiche a marvelous look. Now comes the exciting part of revising many more recipes with new eyes.

 

 

Prosciutto & Cotswold Quiche w/ fresh spinach 

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

8 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cubed

½ teaspoon sea salt

5 tablespoons ice water

 

8 large eggs

1/3 cup cream

1 ½ cups Cotswold cheese w/ chives, grated

A few grates of nutmeg [optional]

 

8 ounces fresh spinach, stems removed

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoon olive oil

 

3 ounces prosciutto, approx. 10 slices

 

Preheat oven to 400°F

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and chilled butter until a coarse meal is formed. Add the ice water and mix just until a ball forms in the processor. If dough is too soft, chill for about 5 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and line a pie pan, crimping the edges to form a crust. Egg wash the edge of the crust after the shell has been filled, using the custard. Chill quiche crust in the refrigerator until ready to fill. 

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic until lightly golden. Add the fresh spinach and toss to coat with oil. Continue to toss until spinach has wilted. Place in a colander to drain and cool. In the same pan cook the prosciutto on each side for a minute just to par cook. 

Whisk together eggs and cream. Stir in cheese and nutmeg if using. 

Squeeze out any moisture from the spinach and evenly distribute over the bottom of the quiche shell. Pour over the custard and cover with prosciutto slices. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until puffed and prosciutto is crispy. This eight inch quiche will serve six to eight.

 

  

For today’s salad of choice, I am harvesting some greens from the many flats planted. To dress this salad I made a basil vinaigrette. A chef friend of mine made one not too long ago that was very delish, so I thought it might go well with freshly harvested greens. 

 

Basil Vinaigrette

4 Tablespoons grape seed oil

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup packed fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

1 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest 

Puree basil and oil together and allow the basil to flavor and color the oil. Strain through a coffee filter. Whisk together vinegar, lemon zest, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk this mixture into the now basil oil until emulsified. Drizzle over salad greens. 

I think quiche is best served just above room temperature after being baked, when the cheese is still soft and crust flaky. It’s the simple things in life that make us most happy, and the most sense. Don’t you agree?