Pumpkin, Caramelised Onion, Roquefort Quiche
Boy oh boy, it’s finally September! If you’ve been reading my newsletter (if not, what are you waiting for?) you know that the weather around here has been dreadful and I was ready since last week for aaaalll of the fall cooking.
While I’m no PSL girl or have any particular attachment to Halloween or carved pumpkins, I do have a soft spot for this vegetable in all things savoury. As a child, my mom would occasionally bake it with a bit of sugar (my dad just loved it this way) or make it into some kind of strudel I wasn’t a big fan of.
A few years ago though I discovered that pumpkin can be savoury and, in my humble opinion, is way better cooked this way. Its delicate flavour welcomes all kinds of autumn spices and I can think of few things better than pumpkin soup on a cold rainy day.
I also discovered then that there are quite a few types of squash, all shapes and colours and sizes, and I have been trying them one by one ever since. My favourites remain the humble butternut, the bright orange hokkaido, as well as the musquée de provence, the latter being the best for soup.
It therefore so happened that the other day, while out on an errand, I saw the local supermarket proudly displaying their first colourful pumpkin varieties. I first told myself it is still August, then looked at the rain outside, shivered in my early winter coat, and decided August be damned we will be having pumpkin quiche tonight.
This recipe has been tweaked and fiddled with over the years and I invite you to do so as well. The main components are a simple savoury crust, pumpkin, caramelised onion, eggs and crème fraîche or sour cream. When it comes to pumpkin type or the cheese you use to flavour it, feel free to experiment.
I used here blue roquefort and a Hokkaido squash. Let me know what you’ll use in the comments and do subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes weekly!
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
For the crust
200g plain flour
100g butter, very cold
1/2 tsp salt
60ml (2 tbsp) ice cold water
For the filling
1 small pumpkin (about 1 kg, 2 lbs) - if you use Hokkaido as I did, no need to peel - roughly chopped in cubes
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
1 clove of garlic
3 thyme sprigs
200g (1 cup) crème fraîche
150-170g (3/4-1cup) blue cheese, crumbled
2 eggs
50g (1/4 cup) parmesan, grated
1/4 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper, for seasoning
Start by baking your squash. Place the cubed squash in an oven tray, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and coat well. Place in a preheated oven and bake at 200 degrees for 40 minutes or until caramelised and tender.
Meanwhile, make your crust. In the bowl of a food processor add flour, butter, salt. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water and pulse again until the dough is just coming together. Bring it into a flattened disc, wrap in plastic foil and chill for 30 minutes.
Caramelise the onions. In a large pan heat some olive oil with the know of butter until sizzling. Add the onions (it’s ok if they barely fit, they will shrink while cooking), thyme, garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook over a medium heat until the onions become deliciously caramelised. I will not lie to you, this will take a while, about 30 minutes. Consider it a labour of love. Remove the thyme sprigs (but I like to leave the whole clove of garlic inside)
When the onions and pumpkin are cooked, let them cool while you prepare your cheese filling. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, blue cheese, parmesan, nutmeg, crème fraîche. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Take the chilled dough out of the fridge and roll it into a round tart base. Place into your quiche pan, prick it all over with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.
When ready to assemble, start by layering the onions at the base of the quiche. Add the pumpkin on top. Pour the cheese mixture all over, making sure it is evenly distributed.
Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-40 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown all over.
Serve with a crisp green salad to even out all that cheese!
