Quiche Me, I'm Irish

Top of the mornin' to ya! I recently took the Ancestry.com DNA test and discovered that I'm more Irish (54%) than anything else. This was a bit of a surprise to me as my dad (we assume) is 100% French Canadian, and my very Irish mother, who's maiden name is DuBois, always figured she was at least a quarter French. While I can't begin to pretend I understand anything related to genetics (I think I recall a Punnett square and Gregor Mendel and pea plants from 7th grade science, but that's the extent of my expertise), I DO know this recipe for Roasted Asparagus and Gruyere Quiche combines the best of my French heritage with very green, very springy asparagus to make a perfect breakfast/lunch for St. Patrick's Day.

The crust is a simple olive oil pastry that requires nothing more than a mixing bowl, oil and water to construct. You can roll it out (I did) or just press the dough into your pie or tart pan. It's so easy the kids can do it. It is also a super flexible "base" recipe that can be modified to use any veggies, meat, and cheese. Just prep your crust and your custard and the possibilities are endless. For the asparagus, simply trim, toss with olive oil and salt and pepper, and roast at 400 for about 15 minutes. You can do this the day before, or use leftover cooked veggies too.

Asparagus and Gruyere Quiche (serves 6-8, depending on how you slice it)

For the crust:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup ice cold water

For the custard:

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cream (can sun half and half)

3 large eggs

pinch nutmeg

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

For the filling:

1 lb (1 bunch) asparagus, roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper until tender, and chopped

1/2 cup shredded gruyere cheese, tossed in a tsp of flour

To Assemble:

Preheat the oven to 400.

Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Whisk water with olive oil until an emulsion forms (you're thickening the mixture) and add to the flour. Mix to combine with a spoon. As soon as you get a ball of dough, use your hands to bring it all together. If rolling, turn out onto a floured surface and roll with a floured rolling pin into a circle the size of your pie dish. Roll the dough around the rolling pin to move it to the pie plate, and press dough up the sides of the dish. If not using the rolling method, just press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Put the crust in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up.

Make the custard: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk and cream together until thoroughly combines. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Fill the Quiche: Remove crust from freezer. Add the asparagus and cheese to the crust and evenly spread out on the bottom of the pie plate. The cheese is tossed in flour to allow it to float in the custard as it bakes and not clump at the bottom. After I roll the crust I just take a little of the flour left on the counter and toss it with the cheese. Pour custard on top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and puffed. If it is getting too brown you can cover it with foil for the last few minutes. Cool before cutting.