Une quiche pas comme les autres – Quiche de chou fleur au camembert et pâte aux graines de pavot-piment

A good friend of mine just had surgery on her foot, and is staying at home recovering, so when I asked her if she wanted me to bring her something, she responded “a vegetable quiche”! So here we are…The worse thing about foot surgery is that you are stuck in bed or walking with crutches, and there is not much activity you can do…so I made the quiche ready to bring it to her, then one of those unexpected things happened, I had to take my car to the garage, so the quiche had to stay with me.

I love to flavor my crusts and doughs, it adds a lovely flavor and character to the dish…you can use anything you like to flavor the crust, herbes de provence, parmesan, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, etc…in this particular one, I added poppy seeds and chili flakes, and really makes a great balance with the quiche filling. I used olive oil instead of the traditional French pâte brisée made with butter, and a mixture of wholesome flours such as kamut and spelt which gives this crust its beautiful dark color. Also, traditional quiche has crème fraîche, I added milk instead, if you want to keep it a little lighter milk can be substituted or a mixture of milk and cream will be a nice alternative.

Now what more French than camembert? not many things…It’s hard to find great camembert in the US, you know the one that’s not too “fait”  (too hard) or too “coulant” (runny) with a subtle scent. I found one at Whole Foods that was being recommended by the gentleman behind the counter, so I decided to listen for once to what people tell me…and the camembert was perfect, juste comme il faut! So we ended up with a healthy quiche filled with vegetables and a wholesome and flavorful crust.

Ingredients for about 4 people

For the crust

  • 1/2 cup white flour
  • 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
  • 1/2 cup kamut flour
  • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tbs poppy seeds
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • a few pinches of salt

For the filling

  • 1 small green cauliflower
  • 1/2 camembert, sliced
  • 3 eggs
  • 2/3 cup milk (or 1/3 cup milk and 1/3 cup cream)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

For the crust

In a mixing container, mix all flours together. Add poppy seeds, chili and salt. Add olive oil and water gradually and start kneading the dough. Stop kneading when the dough becomes homogeneous and smooth. Wrap in a plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

For the filling

Break cauliflower into florets, and cook them in salted boiling water until cauliflower is cooked but still firm. Drain and crush with a fork. Set aside.

In a mixing container, beat eggs, milk (or cream) cumin seeds, salt and pepper.

To make quiche, roll dough into a sheet of 2-3 mm thick. Place in mold. Spread evenly crushed cauliflower in bottom of mold. Top it with camembert slices. Pour egg mixture on top.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370-375F until the dough is cooked and top is golden brown.