Smoked Salmon, Kale and Dill Quiche with Sour Cream Shortcrust

We started the New Year off right with this salmon-kale quiche. Or I thought we did. Then, I read this morning that kale, along with coconut oil, are among the 2015 has-beens! Seaweed, teff, maca powder and black pudding will soon replace coconut oil and kale as 2016's trendiest ingredients. Merely giving you a head's up here....because there's not anything even resembling these four ingredients in my kitchen and I gravely doubt they'll be there anytime soon. Take heart though, as they also listed about 6 other 2016 "in" ingredients and I already eat those regularly.
Nevertheless, outdated or not, we thoroughly enjoyed this quiche. But we thought it was a tad too much kale (perhaps our U.S. bunches are larger than Australian bunches.), so please take a close look when it's cooked and wilted; then add the kale to your own taste; you'll be able to tell. We also added more Parmesan. My daughter thought it wasn't eggy enough and I agreed, but I still think it was the result of too much kale. I am posting the original recipe here...make your own adjustments.

Smoked Salmon, Kale and Dill Quiche with Sour Cream Shortcrust
From Cakelets and Doilies

Ingredients:
For Sour Cream Shortcrust
2 cups plain flour
200 grams (7/8 of a cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup sour cream

For Filling
1 bunch of kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 ounces smoked salmon, flaked into small pieces using a fork
1 bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
3 eggs
1/3 cup coffee cream 
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method:
For sour cream shortcrust:
Place butter and flour in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking paper big enough to line your pie pan.. Lift pastry into tin, crimp as you please. I froze the pastry for an hour or so.

Preheat the oven to 400 F . Place pie pan on a cookie sheet. Blind bake by lining the pastry and then pour in dried beans or rice. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden. Remove paper and beans/rice. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes to crisp. Allow to cool.

For the filling:
Reduce the oven to 350 F .

Remove and discard stem from kale. Tear or roughly chop kale leaves into small bite-size pieces. Heat oil in a frying pan, add garlic and stir over medium heat until fragrant. Add kale leaves and saute until the kale has wilted. Remove from heat. 

Place eggs, cream, milk, cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Scatter the kale, smoked salmon and dill in your pastry shell and pour the egg mixture over everything. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until set and golden. (Took my oven longer.) Rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Radish, Tomato & Onion Savory Tart

Radishes were one of the first things I planted in my very first garden....I remember pulling them out, washing them off and biting into that crisp, peppery flesh, still warm from the sun. Sheer heaven. One of my favorite lunches was a piece of toast, with a touch of mayo, topped with fresh sliced radishes, salt and pepper.  Another of my favorite radish dishes came much later and is a cooked radish and potato salad. It's amazing, unusual and very few can guess the ingredients. I make it often.

Now that I've discovered this tart, it will also be going on my make often list. Nothing compares to using fresh from your own garden and this recipe combines garden fresh radishes with your home grown tomatoes and results in a delicious and colorful lunch. Save the recipe for when your garden is producing..... this is well worth the wait. The cream cheese is the icing on the cake and that touch of onion is perfect. Perhaps I'll put some herbs on top the next time, but for now, this was fabulous, simple and so easy to make.

Radish, Tomato & Onion Savory Tart

From Al Dente Gourmet

Ingredients:

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Cream cheese, spreadable

Bunch of radish leaves 

2 medium tomatoes, sliced and drained on paper towels

2 medium onions, sliced

6 radishes, sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the two pastry sheets on a parchment-lined baking sheet and turn up the edges to form a border. Spread with the cream cheese, add radish leaves, tomato slices, onions and radishes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper  and bake  for about 10- 15 minutes.  (I stuck it under the broiler for a bit at the end) Cut and serve.