Maple Shitake Quiche (Vegetarian)
Hearty and tasty, this delicious Maple Shitake Quiche makes an excellent dinner on a rainy night.
Ingredients (serves 4):
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
a dozen and a half shitake mushrooms
a large Green Onion
a small bunch Garden Parsley
a garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon pure (Grade A) Canadian Maple Syrup
300 grams/10.5 ounces chilled Pâte Brisée (Water Shortcrust Pastry)
5 large eggs
¾ cup double cream
¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons pure (Grade A) Canadian Maple Syrup
In a large, deep skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat.
Thoroughly dust shitake mushrooms with a paper towel or clean brush; then, cut them into thick slices.
Once the butter is just foaming, add shitake mushrooms slices, and sauté, shaking the pan often, to coat in butter and oil, until the mushrooms start browning.
Finely chop Green Onion. Add chopped white part of the Green Onion, saving green part for later, to the skillet and cook, 1 minute.
Finely chop Parsley as well, and stir into the mushrooms. Cook, a few minutes more.
Add minced garlic, and cook, 1 minute.
Season with fleur de sel and black pepper. Cook, another minute, then deglaze with Maple Syrup. Cook, a few seconds more, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely
Preheat oven to 200°C/395°F.
Roll Pâte Brisée out thinly onto a lightly floured surface. Fit into a buttered 20cm/8″ tart tin, letting the pastry overhang on the edges. Prick the base with a fork. Place a sheet of baking paper onto the Pâte Brisée and fill with dried beans or rice. Blind bake the Pâte Brisée crust at 200°C/395°F, 5 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and baking paper, and bake another 5 minutes, at the same temperature. Remove from the oven. Let cool slightly before trimming the edges.
In a medium bowl, whisk eggs together with double cream. Season salt and black pepper. Then, whisk in Maple Syrup until well-blended. Set aside.
Scatter cooked shitake mushrooms onto the crust. Pour Maple egg and cream mixture evenly all over.
Place in the warm oven, and bake, at 200°C/395°F, 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and crust is beautifully golden brown.
Serve Maple Shitake Quiche warm, with dressed lettuce.