Leek and Cheese Quiche

Leek and Cheese Quiche

When I have friends over I usually feel that I am not serving enough food. So when I called over Pritha (who has this lovely blog 'Guilt-Free ' )  for some Brioche au Chocolat  and Cafe Frappe I was at a complete loss as to the savoury items which must be served for a tea party.

It was mostly because I was too lazy to visit New Market (one of the biggest market in Calcutta which stocks up a lot of ingredients) and due to the encephalitis scare we are all avoiding Porky items. That is a big drawback for me because when you have ham and cheese and a bit of bacon anyone can make a fabulous dish but with no porky items I was a bit confused. What added to that confusion was the absence of my internet but I had Camembert at home and having made quiche and tarts before I decided that I would just take a shot and create a recipe .

Once you make tarts and quiche shells you get an idea about the ingredients ratio etc and so its not too problematic to make a tart shell. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted a flaky crust with a cheese filling.

So here goes the recipe :-

For the shell

150gm flour
100gm chilled butter
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt

For the filling :-

125gm Camembert cheese
50gm butter
1 to 1.5 tbsp flour
250ml to 300ml whole milk
Pinch of nutmeg powder
Salt as per taste
Half a finely  chopped leek

Start by cutting the butter in little cubes and using your hands to quickly mix it with the flour. When it feels gritty add the yolk and salt and quickly form a dough and refrigerate for 2 hours. When rolling it out do it over a clean floured work surface and gently place it on the buttered tart pan. Do not worry if it breaks a little just press the broken bits to the tart pan to form a smooth shell, it will come out as a single shell once you bake it.

Preheat oven to 200C and bake the tart shell for 25 minutes to 35 minutes.

Saute the leek in butter and when softened keep it aside. In the meanwhile make your bechamel base by melting the butter and adding the flour and creating a roux by stirring continuously and taking care not to burn it and slowly add the milk bit by bit and the nutmeg and salt while whisking and let it come to a slow boil and simmer for 2 minutes to create a smooth sauce whisking throughout the process.

Once the tart shell is baked let it cool down for 15 minutes and add the bechamel sauce and top with the sauteed leek and sliced cheese and add on top and bake for 15 minutes to 20 minutes.

Note : This is an extremely heavy dish mostly suitable for cold weather

Healthy Leek and Potato Soup

Healthy Leek and Potato Soup 

For me the perfect weekday dinner is a warm hearty soup. Sadly most creamy soups come with a heavy price. I mean laden with butter or cream it sure tastes amazing but it is a heavy price to pay for that expanding waistline. I had fresh leeks in the refrigerator and so I looked up recipes for a leek and potato soup. The potato would give me the required carbohydrate and it would be a creamy soup. Most of the recipes contained a good amount of the forbidden ingredients. So I made a basic soup which is simple and with minimum usage of ingredients it brings out the flavours of the leek and is a hearty healthy treat

Serves 1 to 2 (depending on how this is served, if its just the first course it should be divided between two else it makes for a healthy meal by itself)

2 medium sized potatoes
Half a large leek
1.5 cups of chicken stock (cups which hold 210ml of liquid)/ vegetable stock
Salt as per taste
Half a cup of skimmed milk
A bit of finely chopped parsley for garnishing
Half a tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil  (optional)


Simply wash and peel the potatoes and cube them and then finely chop the leek . Now heat the olive oil and lower the heat and add the potato and leek and saute and then cover and let it be for half a minute and stir it and add 1 cup of  chicken stock and bring to a boil and then simmer covered for 8 minutes to 9 minutes to 10 minutes. Now let it cool down for 5 minutes or so and blend it smooth in a blender and add the remaining chicken stock and milk and now put it back in the pot and bring to a slow boil while stirring in continuously.
Serve it hot with the finely chopped parsley as garnish. You may add the extra virgin olive oil or not depending on your preference.

Tips :-

For the last boil be very careful to stir continuously because the soup would be of a very thick consistency and can easily form lumps.