Kale, Onion and Tomato Quiche with Spelt Crust

Some of you may know that my Dad writes cookbooks for a living. This has been his career for more than 30 years. He is a Pie master of sorts, and I like to think some of this has rubbed off on me. I love making home made crusts, and playing around with all different types of flour and recipes. I would like to give my Dad credit for most of this crust method, excluding my flour combo. This requires a food processor.

​Ingredients: The Crust
10 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into inch cubes
1 cup whole grain spelt flour
1⁄2 cup all purpose flour
1 1⁄2 Tsp cornstarch
1⁄2 Tsp salt
2 Tsp white vinegar
1⁄3 cup COLD water

​Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse 7-10 times quickly. Add 1⁄2 of the cold butter cubes. Pulse 5 more times, followed by one 5 second pulse. Remove the lid of the food processor and scrape the sides if necessary. Add the remaining butter and repeat. Add the vinegar and cold water by gently sprinkling evenly over the mixture in the bowl of the food processor.

Pulse about 10 times quickly. The dough should start to gravitate toward one side of the food processor, forming a misshapen ball. As soon as this begins to happen, stop pulsing (as shown below). Transfer the dough onto a large piece of saran wrap. Form into a 1 inch thick round by pressing sides of the dough ball into itself (pictured below). Once you have formed a nice size round, place in the freezer for 20 minutes. While this chills, ready the filling.

Ingredients: The Filling
6 eggs
2 cups 1⁄2 and 1⁄2
1⁄2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 onion, sliced into half moons
1 head Root 5 Kale, trimmed and chopped
1 package organic grape tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Method:
The best way to prepare to assemble a quiche is in steps:
Step 1:Whisk together the eggs and half and half and set aside. You can lightly salt and pepper the egg mixture. Set aside.

Step 2: Grate the cheese and set aside.

Step 3: Place the butter in a medium skillet and heat for one minute over low. Add the onions and salt them gently. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the kale and cook an additional 5 minutes covered.

Step 4: Cut the tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, and again, light salt and pepper. I used the toaster oven to gently cook the tomatoes. You can also cook them in the preheating oven for the quiche. Cook at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Or in the preheating oven for 15.

Step 5: Roll out the dough. Do this by lightly covering a work space in flour. Remove the dough ball from freezer and begin to roll into a round large enough to sit into a standard pie pan (as shown). Once you have a nice size round, about 13 inches round if using a standard pie dish, invert the crust into the pan and press the edges down using a fork, around the outer edge of the crust. Place back in the freezer until you are ready to assemble.

To assemble the Quiche:
Gather all your prepared fillings and set the crust nearby. Add the kale and onions mixture, followed by the cheese. Next pour the eggs mixture over the top. Add the tomatoes, one at a time, placing evenly over the top of the egg mixture. You are ready to rock. Place the quiche in the preheated oven on the middle rack. Cook for 20 minutes and then transfer to the top rack. Cook and additional 30 minutes, until the middle of the quiche is set. Remove from the oven and let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

FYI:​ This crust works well with all sorts of pastries and pies. It is wonderful for a galette, a tart or even a sweet pie!