Catastrophe Kitchen | Spring Quiche

Keep this recipe in your back pocket for spring brunch. Filled with asparagus, leeks, and swiss cheese, it's seasonal, fresh, delicious, and even vegetarian! The veggies require a bit of prep, but the majority of the cooking time is hands-off, leaving you free to clean up and visit with guests well before the quiche is ready for serving. I like to serve it with a lightly dressed salad and a crisp sauvignon blanc.  Make sure your crust is in the pie pan, resting and chilling in the fridge, before you start the recipe! I didn’t do that, and my crust shrank (which is why this looks more like a frittata than a quiche). It still tasted amazing, though, so I was unbothered.You will need: 1 bunch asparagus (the thinner the better)1 large or 2 smaller leeks1 Tbsp butter4 oz. shredded Swiss cheese (about 1 cup)2 cups half and half5 eggs1 unbaked pie crust, formed and chilled⅛ tsp cayenne¼ tsp nutmeg1 tsp Diamond kosher saltSet the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with foil.Next, clean your leeks. Leeks grow up through the soil, catching dirt in every layer of their oniony stalks. It's important to clean them thoroughly! Look how dirty mine were.Rinse the exterior of the leek, then chop off the roots and the dark green tops, and add those to your compost. Slice the leek lengthwise (from the white side to the green side), then chop the leeks crossways into 1/2" pieces.Add these pieces to a large bowl, then fill the bowl with cold water. Swish the leek slices around, agitating the water to get it into every nook and cranny of the slices. Fish the pieces out with your hands or a slotted spoon, and add them to a large skillet with the butter. Do NOT dump them into the skillet, or you will dump the silt you carefully removed into your skillet with them. Fishing them out seems fussy but it is 100% necessary.Turn the pan to medium-high and cover. Stir occasionally, until the whites of the leeks are translucent. This will take a few minutes.While the leeks cook, cut the woody ends off of the asparagus and add them to your compost (I cut off quite a bit-- woody stems have no place in my quiche!). Reserve two spears for the top of the pie. Cut the tips off the remaining asparagus about 2" down from the top, then cut the topless asparagus spears into 1/2" lengths.When the leeks are done, scrape them into a bowl or plate and add the asparagus pieces, the 2 reserved stalks, and about 1/4 cup water to the heated pan (no need to clean it out). Cover, and cook for 60-90 seconds, or just until the asparagus is bright green and slightly tender. Add to the bowl with your leeks.In a separate bowl, crack your eggs, then add the cream, nutmeg, cayenne, and salt. Whisk together until incorporated.Pull your prepared crust out of the fridge, and add the cheese, leeks, and asparagus pieces to the empty crust. You can mix it together or just dump them one at a time, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference in the final product. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Add the two spears to the top of the quiche for fanciness, then put it on the prepared baking sheet and into your oven. Set a timer for 40 minutes (although it will likely take 50-60 minutes, you don't want it to overcook if your oven is too hot, so err on the cautious side!).At the forty minute mark, check your quiche by jiggling the pan. Your finished quiche shouldn't jiggle much-- if you think it's done, go ahead and pull it and test the center with a clean knife or a toothpick. If your tester comes out wet, put the quiche back in for another 10-20 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. Mine took a full hour.When the quiche is done, pull it out and let it cool for at least 15 minutes before serving (it will continue to set as it cools). Enjoy your taste of spring!