Lunch Pie, aka Quiche, with Toulouse Sausage and Spinach
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons chilled water
- 2 cups packed coarsely chopped fresh spinach leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil, for cooking
- 1/4 pound Toulouse Sausage (page 32), crumbled
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne paper
- 2 cups coarsely grated melting cheese, such as Gruyere, Emmentaler, Fontina, or Monterey jack
- To make the crust, place the 1 1/4 cups of flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once to mix.
- Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and scatter over the flour.
- Pulse until the mixture is somewhat crumbly.
- Add the water and pulse again until the mixture adheres when squeezed between your fingers.
- Gather the dough into a loose ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Press into a smooth disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.
- Bring to room temperature before using.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a round about 2 inches larger than a 9- to 10-inch tart pan.
- Transfer the round to the pan, easing it into the bottom and up the sides.
- Fold in any excess dough hanging above the top and press it against the pan so it adheres.
- Prick the crust all across the bottom with a fork.
- Bake until barely golden on the bottom and around the edges, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside, leaving the oven on.
- To make the filling, rinse the spinach and shake off the excess water, leaving the spinach slightly moist.
- Place in a microwave-safe bowl or in a saute pan.
- Cover and place in the microwave oven, or cover and cook on the stove top over medium heat until wilted but still bright green, 1 to 2 minutes by either method.
- Let cool, squeeze out the remaining moisture, and set aside.
- Add just enough oil to a small saute pan to film the bottom and place over medium-high heat.
- Add the sausage and cook, stirring to break up the clumps, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, and spread the sausage across the bottom of the partially baked crust.
- Combine the eggs, cream, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne in a medium bowl and whisk to blend.
- Whisk in the cheese and stir in the spinach.
- Pour the custard mixture into the crust.
- Bake until the filling puffs up and is golden on top and a fork inserted in the center comes out clean but still a little moist, about 30 minutes.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
flour, salt, cold unsalted butter, water, fresh spinach leaves, extra virgin olive oil, sausage, eggs, heavy cream, kosher salt, nutmeg, cayenne paper, melting cheese
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/lunch-pie-aka-quiche-with-toulouse-sausage-and-spinach-389461 (may not work)