October 29, 2003
Salmon & Leek Quiche
Picard Surgelés is a French chain store, the concept of which finds no equivalent in the US (to my knowledge) : it only sells frozen goods. This may not sound very appealing to the foodiest foodies among you, but their products are surprisingly good and high-quality, much like I remember the frozen section at Trader Joe's, in which I loved to wander till my fingers grew numb. Their selection is pretty wide : from unseasonned veggies, fruits, meat and fish, to sophisticated appetizers, entrees, sides, and ethnic meals, including excellent ice-cream, desserts and breads. You could really live off of their products alone - I know some do! - but we like to stock up on convenient staples, some quick meals for those (rather rare, I have to say) "I-don't-feel-like-cooking" nights and indulge in a few of their goodies. My father will tell you that their macarons alone are worth the trip.
Salmon and leek quiche is one of my favorite quiche recipes, which I come to crave every now and then. So on Friday night, I was very happy to have everything on hand to make one, in which both the salmon and the leek were courtesy of Picard.
Here's how the recipe goes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Wash and cut up about 2 pounds of leeks (using pre-cut frozen saved me the trouble). Heat a little butter or olive oil (tradition or unclogged arteries, take your pick) in a large skillet, add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for about twenty minutes or until tender. Drain very thoroughly.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring water to a boil and poach two salmon fillets for about 10 minutes, until just cooked. Drain thoroughly, and flake with a fork.
Line a pie dish with a store-bought or (better, obviously) homemade crust, stretching it a little to have the flaps of dough all around that I like to fold over the filling. In a large bowl, beat together two eggs, 1/4 C of crème fraîche (substitute heavy cream or sour cream), salt and pepper. Add the leeks and salmon, and mix gently with a wooden spoon.
Pour the filling in the pie dish, and fold the flaps of dough over the borders of the filling. With a pastry brush, use what egg moisture is left in the bowl to brush the pie dough. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden. Leave on the counter to settle for a few minutes, and serve with a green salad. This serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as an appetizer.
Salmon and leek are, in my humble opinion, a marriage made in heaven. They both offer wonderfully subtle and sweet tastes, best brought out by a salad dressed with a sharp and tangy vinaigrette.
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More Recipes Like This One:
~ Leek and Potato Soup
~ Warm Leek Salad with Fresh Walnuts
~ Leek and Apricot Strudel with Pinenuts
~ Leek and Ricotta Frittata
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Comments (19)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Main Dishes - Recipe Inside!
Clo-
The quiche looks wonderful, and is unusual to me because I've never seen the combination of salmon and leeks in a quiche before, both of which I adore. Now quiche is something I have yet to try making, you inspire me to give it a whirl one of these days!
Now, this store sounds fabulous. The kind of place I can see myself wandering around in for hours just looking.
Posted by Deb on October 29, 2003 7:44 PMDeb - never made quiche? It is one of the easiest, versatile and forgiving dishes of all, and a sure crowd-pleaser. One of the first things my mother taught me how to make was a quiche lorraine, a quiche with cheese and lardons (teeny strips of lard). The other one was zucchini gratin (see? zucchini, early on!).
Posted by clotilde on October 30, 2003 12:04 AMYou really have to try your hand at quiches and let me know how it goes!
Le saumon venait-il aussi de chez Picard ? Heureusement que Mamy ne lira pas que tu fais cuire les poireaux à l'huile d'olive !!!! :)
Posted by sylvie on October 30, 2003 10:26 AMOui Maman, le saumon était de chez Pic-pic aussi! Et pour les poireaux, tu remarques que je donne le choix de la matière grasse, le beurre pour la tradition, l'huile d'olive pour les artères! Bisous.
Posted by clotilde on October 30, 2003 10:32 AMI made this quiche tonight. It turned out fabulously. Thanks
Posted by Donna on December 10, 2003 1:04 AMApologies for being terribly faddish, but it strikes me that one could forgo the crust and make this in a buttered (lined?) pan anyway, and it would make a great lower-carb dish. I'm not doing the lower-carb thing (anymore), but I'd probably make it this way anyway, as I am a bit lazy when it comes to making crusts!
I shall have to try this at once.
Posted by Jackie on December 10, 2003 7:11 AMDonna - I'm very happy you made this and liked it! Thanks for letting me know!
Posted by clotilde on December 10, 2003 2:42 PMJackie - it would probably work fine without the crust! I would add a couple tablespoons of flour to the filling to help it stay together though. But that sort of defeats the purpose of a lower carb dish! I usually use pre-made dougn for my quiches (but never for my desserts) so it's really no hassle... let me know if you make this!
Posted by clotilde on December 10, 2003 2:46 PM*sigh* I shall have to make this quiche shortly, sans crust, as I am trying to reduce my waistline.. Clotilde, your recipes are divine, and give me lots of inspiration and material for thought. My mother went to school in Paris and did a good bit of cooking in the french style when I was a child, so this brings back memories!
As to the crustless quiche issue, I have made a few crustless near-quiches recently, and they do cook up alright withough crust or the addition of a bit of flour, though it's a bit more like having a fritatta than a quiche.
Posted by Jamie on April 30, 2004 2:36 AMJamie - Delighted you find the recipes tempting! And I think this would work great as a crustless quiche or frittata, you are right...
Posted by clotilde on May 1, 2004 10:20 AMClotilde,
I remember baking this one;
usually enmasse on Fridays for the
Summer Lunch Rush, when
Valerie and I would rush the
Tart Bases out to cool and
be filled, at 7am.
we'd start them out the night
before by leaving the cream out
to thicken for our Creme Fraiche'.
sitting it in large Marmites on the
top of the range. I'd also get a
few lbs of butter churned quickly
in the "Robotcoupe" ..
...ahhhh yess,, just a lil FYI Clotilde,
it's the first true commercial grade
food processor to arrive in the usa,
by way of Detroit, MI, from Paris.
In 1978 My Dear - wayyyyyyyyyyy back.
we're known for our innovations
too - like importing any and everything
edible and cooking related to motown.
The Mousseline, was artwork..
It was so light in texture that the
salmon literally melted into a buttery
velvet and teased your tongue and
throat as you enjoyed each morsel.
Fresh Leeks and Fresh Salmon were
the order of the day in the house then;
but I'd gladly enjoy the convenience
of Really Truly Clean frozen Leeks;
anyday of the week. besides who can
you trust to really get the grit out..
I remember LeMatch,,what a store.
I also went to the one in Fort D'France.
it was stocked so well it had 3 floors.
very rare in the carribean, but it is A.F.
I love going to the supermarket when
I travel, just to get the goodies.
who cares about tee shirts, show me
the Spice Rack and the Condiments Section.
But,, stand back cause I'm gonna get busy.
Might I also suggest one of my
favorites and specialties -
"Shrimp and Vidalia Onion Tart"
a truly divine southern treat.
Ooo La La,,
~RE
~RE Ausetkmt
Honeychiles Kitchen
Posted by ~RE Ausetkmt on August 19, 2004 8:28 AMa spicy traveling kitchen review
http://honeychiles.cjb.net/
I found this recipe in October 04 and have been making it frequently since! It is 'to die for' elegance, delicious and really simple. Thank you for sharing it!
Posted by Clodagh Miller on February 2, 2005 7:09 PMThank you for posting this recipe. My husband and I enjoyed a similar quiche at the cafe overlooking the Metro Palais Royale, and I have been looking for a recipe ever since.
Posted by Tracy on February 22, 2005 3:06 PMGreat website.
My girlfriend is French (or should I say Parisean?). I'm a New Yorker. She lives in NY now with me...but she still keeps her flat in Paris.
After all my years of traveling to Paris, I have fallen in-love with Picard. As you said, there is no US equivalent. Not only is there no US equivalent, there is no US equivalent for many of the foods sold in Picard.
I miss the frozen leek "rondels." I have still be unable to find frozen leeks in the US!
Keep up the good work on your website. Good luck!
Posted by RoverDude on July 19, 2005 9:46 AMI made this the other day. I added bocconcini on top. It was a huge hit. Perfect for a potluck.
Posted by Kine on September 23, 2005 7:37 PMYou can never close this sight. You have every delicious recipe under the sun in here.
Posted by kara on June 5, 2006 12:12 AMI expecally love this one because it bring the health benefits of salmom together with leeks. Leeks alone help with blood pressure, blood clots, cancers, Alzhelmer's, infections, it lowers cholesteral, pervents colds and upset stomach, detoxifies the body, and it also has great mineral advantages like Vitman B6, Vitman C, Folate, Manganese, Iron, and Fiber, and most of all leeks stabilize blood sugar. Overall on the health scale ranging from 1-10 I give this recipe a definite ten because it tops the charts with all of the health benefits.
To add even more health benefits I would suggest using a homemade crust using nuts and buckwheat.
Canned salmon works well in this recipe...
Posted by Ian on October 5, 2006 11:03 PMI like this recipe for leftover baked salmon. I hate to throw the salmon away because it is so expensive. I made a leftover rice crust because it is so expensive as well. Thank you for this recipe.
Posted by 20 more minutes on June 1, 2007 3:08 AMI made this the other day and it was very nice, however I used only 1 pound of leeks. 2 pounds would not have fit in the quiche mold...I am really glad I found your blog. My husband is French and I am from Peru and I haven't made many French recipes so this is the perfect place to start. Thank you.
Posted by Lucia on May 29, 2008 9:15 PMPrivacy. The email addresses you enter will not be used for any other purpose than the sending of this message.