Chard and goat cheese quiche with pecans and thyme

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g wheat flour type 405
• 100 g butter, cold
• 1 egg(s), size M
• 1 pinch of salt
• 300 g goat’s cheese
• 150 g soft cheese (goat cheese), in roll form
• 125 ml whipped cream or Cremefine
• 50g Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 eggs
• 3 leaves of chard
• 1 onion(s)
• 50 g pecans
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 5 stalks of thyme
• salt and pepper
• Oil or butter for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 10 minutes

vegetarian

Cut the butter into approximately 2 cm pieces, then knead thoroughly with the flour, an egg, and a good pinch of salt. I always do this by hand so the dough comes together nicely, but you could probably do it with a dough hook too. When the dough is nice and smooth, shape it into a ball, flatten it slightly, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Then place the dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. While the dough is resting, there is plenty of time to prepare the filling. First, wash the chard and cut it into thin strips. Next, dice the onion and roughly chop the pecans. Sauté all three ingredients in a pan with a little oil or butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Once the mixture is ready, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly. Next, mix the goat’s cheese, heavy cream, 3 eggs, and Parmesan cheese until creamy and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Then add the chard, onion and pecan mixture to the cheese mixture and stir. Now wash the cherry tomatoes and thyme and cut the goat cheese roll into slices about 5 mm thick and set aside. Grease a 26 cm diameter springform pan and preheat the oven to 180°C. Take the dough out of the fridge, roll it out and fit it into the springform pan. Leave a 2 cm high edge and prick the dough with a fork. Then pre-bake the dough without the filling for 5 – 10 minutes on the middle rack. Remove the base from the oven and spread the goat cheese mixture in it. Press the tomatoes into the topping and put the quiche back in the oven for about 20 minutes. As soon as the topping is lightly browned, place the goat cheese slices and thyme on top and bake for a further 10 minutes. Then let it cool and serve. Serve with a delicious salad, for example. The chard can also be easily replaced with arugula or spinach. Since every oven works differently, you’ll have to go with your gut feeling. I always bake for about 30-40 minutes. The toothpick test also helps: simply insert a toothpick into the topping; if nothing sticks to it, the quiche is set and ready. It sounds like a lot of work, but you can prepare a lot of things while the dough is in the fridge—so it’s not a big deal.