After chosing Plum Perfect Almond Ginger Tart recipe as an introduction to Holly Herrick wonderful guide on how to tart, her Roasted Grape Tomato and Pimento Cheese Quiche also excerpted from Tart Tove 'Sassy, Savory and Sweet' (Gibbs Smith, October 2011) might come just in time to help with your Sunday brunch menu.
Roasted Grape Tomato and Pimento Cheese Quiche
Serves 8
Summer/Early Fall
Grape tomatoes are roasted at a high heat to concentrate their flavor and maximize their “pop” factor before going into this sunset-hued quiche. Pimento cheese, a southern staple of usually) yellow or white cheddar studded with roasted pimento peppers (deeply sweet and aromatic peppers) gives it a rustic, relaxing twist that begs for a deep-dish pie pan for shaping and baking. The basil, cut into a kind of confetti in the blender with the custard, weaves its way all the way through the flavor of the delicate custard. Feel free to garnish the quiche with fresh basil when serving.
Equipment needed
One 8 x 1 3⁄4-inch fluted quiche pan
1 recipe Master Savory Pastry
1 egg wash (yolk, splash water, pinchsalt blended together)
Filling
2 cups grape tomatoes, rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1 cup pimento cheese (see sidebar, page 81)
Custard
5 eggs
1 pint heavy cream
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
10 fresh basil leaves
Prepare Master Savory Pastry (see “Perfecting Pastry,” pages 17–18). Chill 30 minutes or overnight. Roll out on a lightly floured surface according to instructions on Elevated Tart Border (page 18). Chill 20 to 30 minutes. Just before baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the prepared shell on a baking pan and blind bake (see Blind Baking, page 19) about 25 minutes, until pastry is set and becoming golden. Remove the pie weights, brush down the pastry with egg wash, and return to the oven to finish baking until golden brown, another 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pre-baked shell from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Let the shell cool slightly at room temperature.
Meanwhile, roast the tomatoes in the oven. Toss tomatoes in oil, salt and pepper, and arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; place it on a rack below the pastry. Roast for about 25 minutes, until tomatoes have just popped and shrunken in size. Remove and set aside to cool.
To prepare the custard, combine eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a blender for 1 minute on high, until frothy and light. Add the basil and blend for 3 seconds, until just shredded. Set aside.
To assemble the quiche, line the bottom of the pre-baked pie shell with half of the scallions, half of the tomatoes and half of the custard. Repeat. Top the quiche with large dollops of the pimento cheese scattered over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 to 50 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Serve warm.
(* Recipe from Tart Love 'Sassy, Savory and Sweet' by Holly Herrick-Gibbs Smith, October 2011- Photograghs by Helene Dujardin, reproduced with permission of the publisher, all rights reserved)