Heirloom Tomato Basil Quiche

So I finally got to check out the local Trader Joe's this past weekend. If you haven't been let me put it into perspective for you...imagine a place that has all the choices of Whole Food's but for 1/4 of the price...yeah, it's pretty amazing.

I first discovered this place in Charleston, SC since we didn't currently have any in Jacksonville at the time but lucky for me there are a couple in the Houston area. This one was particularly snazzy because it was in an old movie theater, I think it's awesome when they utilize old buildings instead of just tearing them down.

Anyway, cutting to the main attraction of this post, I found baby Heirloom tomatoes on sale for $2.99!!! I have paid up to $10 for these babies so I couldn't believe this score! What's the big deal about heirlooms you might ask? Well, besides the fact that they look cool this is actually how tomatoes were originally looked back in the day, hence the origin of their name. Plus, each color has a slightly different flavor making it more exciting for the pallet. Sometimes basic is best when it comes to a classic quiche, nothing particularly fancy or unique about it just a good old fashioned tart with the classic flavors of tomato, basil, and Parmesan.

Tomato Basil Quiche

makes one 11" quiche

1 lb of Heirloom grape tomatoes, whole
1 TBS olive oil (or garlic oil if you have it, if you don't just add 1 tsp of minced fresh garlic)
salt & pepper
4 eggs
1 cup milk (or half and half if you wanna get crazy)
4-5 large basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 sheet of puff pastry dough OR you can make your own crust with the recipe below

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a round about 1 inch larger than a 11 inch tin. Use your rolling pin to lift it up, then drape over the tart case so there is an overhang of pastry on the sides. Carefully push the pastry into the corners of the tin. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 15-20 mins.

2.Meanwhile, in a small roasting tin, drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Put the tomatoes in a low shelf of the oven. Take out the tart from the fridge and line the bottom with a large circle of greaseproof paper or foil, then fill with dried beans. Blind-bake the tart for 20 mins, remove the paper and beans, then continue to cook for 5-10 mins until biscuit brown, at this time you can remove the tomatoes from the oven as well.

3.Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add the cream/milk, then stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper (preferably white pepper if you have it). Sprinkle half the cheese over the base of the baked tart shell, scatter over the tomatoes, pour over the cream mix, then finally scatter over the rest of the cheese. Bake for 20-25 mins until set and golden brown (I would put the quiche on a cookie sheet just in case there are any leaks). Leave to cool in the case, trim the edges of the pastry, then remove from the tin. Garnish with more basil if desired.

Crust

Recipe from Epicurioius

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Blend together flour, sugar, salt, butter, and shortening with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 3 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.

2.Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (If you overwork mixture, pastry will be tough.) Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion. Gather dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

3.Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang inward and press against side of pan to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom and sides with a fork. Chill 30 minutes.