The one positive outcome from my self imposed house arrest due to Hurricane Irene this weekend was that I got a lot of cooking done.

Granted, I had no choice because I had a refrigerator stock full of food – no, not because I ran out and bought a bunch for fear that I’d be stuck home for a few days, but because I was expecting to host 13 friends for brunch on Saturday afternoon and finally reveal my new kitchen to everyone!

Thanks for ruining my plans Irene! (No, still not bitter – okay perhaps just a little).

This is a wonderful summer time quiche recipe, tomatoes are the star and you really want the best possible, plus some fresh fragrant herbs to round it out.

Recipe:

Pastry Dough:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

8 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup, plus 1 – 3 tablespoons ice water, divided

Quiche:

6 tomatoes, cored, quartered and seeded

3.5 ounces fresh goat cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

For the pastry dough:

I made mine using my food processor, but you can easily do this with a hand pastry blender or two butter knives. 

In your food processor add the flour, sugar, salt, shortening and butter.  Pulse 8 to 10 times until the mixture is in pea sized pieces and coarse crumbs. 

With the machine running, slowly drizzle 1/3 cup of the cold water into the mixture.  If the dough sticks together you are good to go, if not, add more water one tablespoon at a time until it does.  The dough should look rough, not smooth. 

Scoop the dough out on your work surface and divide into two.  Press each half into a flat round, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  You will only need one half for this recipe.  You can freeze the remaining dough for a later use.

Once the dough is thoroughly chilled, rolled it out on a well floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick.  Transfer to a buttered tart or pie pan and return to the refrigerator. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Prepare the tomatoes and set them aside.  Since we are not par-baking this crust ad to keep the quiche from getting too soggy, I made sure to remove all the core from the tomatoes.  

In a mixing bowl, crumble the goat cheese and add the cream and milk, mash together with the back of a wooden spoon trying to make it as smooth as possible. 

Add the eggs, herbs, salt and pepper and mix until smooth. 

Remove the shell from the fridge and arrange the tomatoes around the outside of the quiche, and the remaining on the inside, like a flower. 

Pour the mixture over the tomatoes and bake until the crust and top are brown about 40 to 45 minutes. 

I suggest placing the tart pan on a cookie sheet to make transferring to and from the oven easier. 

Let sit for 10 minutes after removing from the oven and then serve.