A Brunchiful Reunion: Summer Vegetable Quiche

Remember when I mentioned that blogs had crossed paths last weekend? Let me tell that tale now.

A few weeks ago, this lovely lady, known IRL as Erika and on the interwebz as The Pancake Princess, dropped me a line on this very site. Having attended elementary, middle, and high school AND played water polo together, it was thrilling to discover that we both are obsessed with desserts, write about them, and would be in town at the same time! If that’s not a meal waiting to happen, I don’t know what is.

After the fireworks and wedding festivities ended, we rekindled our friendship over a bounteous brunch. The collision of our blogger minds and kitchen prowess lured in eager faces from the vast expanses of our neighbourhood, and in less than two hours, we had a table set with various dishes and filled by our families and friends.

You have heard many times, I’m sure, how food brings people together. This brunch is proof in the plate that food really is powerful. Furthermore, everything we made and ate came from a local source, enunciating the farm-to-table mantra and making the meal all the more fresh. Vegetables and fruits came from the farmer’s market; muffins were made from nut butters that our neighbor provided; and the brunch attendees all lived within a few block radius. Everything was so serendipitous, yet flawlessly pieced together.

I am eternally glad to have reconnected with Erika and excited to cook with her once again. In the meanwhile, be sure to check out her amazing culinary adventures in Houston and all our delicious eats at the end of this post! I provided the quiche recipe here, which was my contribution to our Sunday brunch. The whole-wheat crust, fresh spring vegetables, and no cheese justifies it’s deep-dish demeanor and seconds thirds you may find yourself serving.

Sometimes, the stars align, the sun shines, the weekend arrives, and a gigantic brunch gets made. This was one of those times.

Even the lighting was perfect.

Summer Vegetable Quiche (adapted from Desserts for Breakfast)

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp dried herbs (I used a mix, but use whatever you want)
2 sticks of butter, cold
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 – 1/2 cup ice water

1 leek, thinly sliced
1 ear corn, shucked
2 cups arugula, rinsed
4 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup European-style plain yogurt (Greek yogurt works great here)
1 cup buttermilk
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

For crust:

• Combine the flours, herbs, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cut the butter into chunks and add. Mix on medium speed until the butter is the size of small peas.
• Gradually add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together (I used about 1/3 cup, but you will use more or less depending on the weather and the coldness of the butter). It’s okay to have chunks of butter remaining! Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick (I didn’t do the greatest job rolling it out this thin, but my pastry dough skills are rusty!).  Lightly spray a 10-inch springform pan and line with the dough, shaping it up the sides of the pan. Line the crust with parchment paper and weigh it down with dried beans or rice.
• Bake for 15-17 minutes until lightly golden and the bottom is no longer glossy. Let cool.

For filling:

• Combine leek, corn and arugula and place in prepared quiche crust.
• In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, salt, and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and lightly tap the pan to make sure that mixture is evenly distributed. Bake for about 1 hour, until the center is barely set – it should still jiggle. Let cool on a wire rack for at least half an hour before serving.