Lovely Leeks

Leeks are a new vegetable that have been in my recent recipe repitoire. I never had leeks before this year, and I certainly fell in love with them. I totally understand why they are so expensive at a grocery store, but for now, I am super excited that they are in season and pretty cheap at farmers markets. We have even been so fortunate as to have these treats in our CSA for the past few weeks.



I have made quite a few recipes involving them- potato leek soup, potato, pear, and leek soup, and some form of a ratouille. I really wanted to find something that showcased leeks though as I had quite a few on hand, and needed to use them before they went bad. I googled leeks, and found a recipe for a leek quiche, which sounded perfect! Jack was so kind as to make the quiche crust, while I prepared the filling, and then later rolled the crust. I adapted this recipe quite a bit, and will indicate where I made changes. Overall though, this recipe was a real winner as it was tasty, and easy to put together for a weeknight dinner. I would imagine that you could substitute any veggie for the leeks, but try it with leeks first as they are terrific!



Leek Quiche

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp. butter
4 leeks, coarsely chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. light cream- I used heavy cream because that's what I had on hand.
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. minced parsley
24 mini pie crusts (store bought)- I, well Jack, made homemade quiche crust. We made 1-9 inch crust and baked for same amount of time.

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In heavy saute pan, melt butter and add chopped leeks. Saute 5 minutes stirring constantly, do not let brown.
Season with salt and pepper to taste and pour into pastry shells.
Beat eggs, mustard, cream and chopped parsley. Pour over leeks and sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden.