Roasted Pumpkin and French Goat’s Cheese Quiche

In general, I’m not really a fan of quiches, especially not of the flat flan-style ones. However, this quiche is the bomb. The combination of sweetly roasted squash with creamy goat’s cheese and the earthiness of nutmeg make this an unforgettable taste and texture experience. What I always find absurd about this recipe is the small number of eggs, but they are just enough to hold together the copious amount of creamy goat’s cheese. It’s best to make this quiche a day in advance and cut it into slices when cold.

Makes 10 generous slices.

Ingredients

For the dough

200 g (7 oz) cold butter, unsalted, cut into small cubes

400 g (14 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons sugar (optional)

1 small egg, beaten

60 g (2 ¼ oz) sour cream

water, as needed

For the filling

1 small pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, and

chopped into 3 cm (1 ¼ inch) cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg

salt and black pepper

1 medium head broccoli, separated into florets

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium white onion, chopped

4 large eggs

250 g (9 oz) sour cream

250 ml (9 fl oz) double (thick) cream

1 tablespoon granulated onion

200 g (7 oz) Emmental or Swiss cheese, grated

350 g (12 oz) French goat’s cheese, such as soft French chèvre

Method

To make the dough: using the pastry attachment, mix all the ingredients except the water together in a food processor. Or, mix with a fork in a large bowl, so as not to melt the butter. The less you work the dough, the better the result. If your pastry seems dry, just add a few teaspoons of water, little by little, until you have the desired consistency. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). To make the filling, arrange the pumpkin in a medium roasting tin. Add the olive oil, sprinkle with half the nutmeg, pepper and salt, and toss together to coat. Pop this into the oven for 20 minutes. Don’t worry about it being completely cooked because it will cook again inside the quiche and you want it to have some bite. Lightly steam the broccoli until al dente. In a saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat and sauté the onions until translucent, about 6 minutes.

In a large bowl that can be used with a hand-held blender, add the eggs, sour cream, double cream, granulated onion, the remaining nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Blend this all together.

Now you’re ready to assemble the quiche. Line a 26 cm (10 ½ inch) spring-form tin with baking paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to the proportions of the tin and place it into the tin. Use your fingers to push the dough up the tin sides, as needed, with an overlap of 5 cm (2 inches). Don’t be too fussy, as a rustic crust on top will look nice.

Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Sprinkle the dough-base with half the Emmental cheese.

Arrange half the roasted squash and half the broccoli over the cheese. Roughly crumble the goat’s cheese over the vegetables, making sure to leave large pieces of cheese. Add the rest of the roasted squash and broccoli, and top with the sautéed onions. Pour the egg and cream mix over the layers. Sprinkle the remaining Emmental over the top, and fold over the sides of the dough toward the centre. Dip a pastry brush into the filling, and glaze the top of the quiche. Place on an oven rack in the middle of the oven, and bake for 1 ½ hours. Be not afraid, the quiche is done, and once the cheese has cooled, it will firm up. Let the quiche cool to room temperature (this will take several hours), then refrigerate until cold. Only then can it easily be cut into slices.