Smoked salmon and spinach quiche

Some seven years ago, when my dear K. and I met for a long weekend date in Paris. One morning we had a late breakfast at Bread & Roses, a lovely deli-cafe near the Luxemburg gardens. I cannot recall exactly what else we had, but we definitely had a really lovely smoked salmon and spinach quiche. I even wrote about it back in 2006, after baking it in Edinburgh (yes, back then I was still living in the beautiful capital of Scotland, and K. and I were having a long-distance relationship. We had no idea what life had in store for us, and definitely didn't think we'd be happy parents to three little kids in 2013 :))

The quiche is still a favourite with us, always bringing back nice memories of those promising spring days in Paris. I've modified the recipe a little over the years, and here's the adapted recipe for you, my dear readers.

Smoked salmon and spinach quiche
(Spinati-suitsulõhepirukas)
Serves six

NOTE that an American cup is 240 ml, an ounce is about 28 grams and 100 grams of butter is 7 Tbsp - in case you need to convert the measurements! 



All-butter crust:
180 g all-purpose flour (300 ml)
100 g cold butter, cubed
a pinch of salt
2-3 Tbsp cold water

(Or use your favourite pâte brisée/shortcrust pastry recipe; you'll need about 300 grams).

Filling:
150 g cold-smoked salmon or trout, chopped
300 to 450 g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
300 to 400 ml double cream/whipping cream/heavy cream
3 large eggs
100 g cheese, shredded
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by making the pie crust. If using your hands, then rub the butter into the flour (with salt added) until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If using a food processor, then place flour and salt into a food processor and pulse until combined. Add the cold butter and pulse until you have a mixture that resembles a coarse meal.

Add a spoonful or two of cold water and pulse again, until the mixture just clumps together. Mix until the the dough forms a ball. Press the dough into a greased or non-stick springform pan, 24 cm (9'') or 26 cm (10'') in diameter, going slightly higher up on the sides when using the smaller cake pan.

Place the pan into fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). 

Bake the pie shell in the middle of the oven for about 15-20 minutes, until golden and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

For the filling, whisk together the cream, eggs, salt and pepper. Add the chopped fish, spinach and shredded cheese. Spoon the filling into the partially baked tart shell and continue baking for about 30-40 minutes, until the filling is set and golden brown. 

Cut into wedges and serve either hot, at room temperature or cold. A nice green salad on the side would be nice.