Buried deep within my massive collection of recipes is one I had forgotten about. This should be a hint to all cooks to revisit their cookbooks and recipes for inspiration. They may be old, but they’re certainly good and worth revisiting!

My Leek, Spinach and Gruyère Quiche can’t be attributed to me entirely. The inspiration and most of the recipe came from that British cooking icon Mary Berry. I changed it a bit, only pertaining to ingredients, temperatures and language. But if you follow the recipe, you’ll have a yummy quiche to be served with a crisp salad and warm bread.

METHOD:

To make the pastry, add the flour to a large bowl then rub in the butter with your fingers. Add water to create a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGRESS F and insert a baking tray that fits the tin.

DOUGH.

After 30 minutes of chilling, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface and fit it to the flan tin. Let the overhang stay. You’ll trim it later. With a fork, punch holes on the bottom of the dough.

PARCHMENT. BEANS. FOIL.

Rip a piece of parchment paper from the roll and crunch it up with your hands. This makes it easier to fit into the crevices of the tin. Fit it to the tin and then add the baking beans on top. This holds the crust down as it bakes.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the paper and beans. With the rolling pin, run it across the tops of the crust to make it even with the flutes of the tin. Place it back into the oven and let it bake for another 10 minutes. Check as the time passes to be sure the crust is not burning. If it gets too dark, cover the edges with foil.

Remove the crust from the oven.

FILLING:

Butter. Leeks.

Melt the butter in a deep skillet. Add the leeks and cook over a high heat until they are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Spinach.

Add the spinach and cook until it is just starting to wilt, about 2 minutes.

Spoon both the leeks and spinach into the tin,

Eggs. Cream. Milk. Gruyére

Mix together in a large bowl with a pouring spout and then season with salt and pepper. Know that the cheese is high in salt, so be conservative.

REDUCE THE OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 350 F AND REMOVE THE BAKING TRAY.

Place the tin on top of the baking tray, put into oven on middle shelf and bake for 25 minutes, or perhaps a bit longer, until the filling is golden and set.

Remove and let sit for a few minutes but be sure it is still warm before serving.

Mary Berry would be proud!