French Spinach and Thyme Quiche

I have such happy memories of visiting my daughters Brittany, Courtney, and Ashley in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Santa Barbara through their college years and afterwards. It was fun to see their dorm rooms, college campuses, their eventual apartments in cute neighborhoods, the restaurants and cafes they frequented, and parks they hung out at. In San Francisco in the Mission District, we visited a very popular bakery called Tartine. The owners, Chad and Elizabeth Prueitt Robertson, apprenticed at the Boulangerie Artisanal de Maures  bakery in the Var region of France. There usually is a long line of people waiting to get into this little, quaint place with it's glass cases of delicious looking temptations. I think I remember sharing a scrumptious piece of coconut cake outside at a petite table with Ashley !
   I simply had to buy their cookbook called Tartine, to see what other lovely things there were to make ! My favorite dish so far is their quiche, a sublimely creamy delight ! It has no cheese which I think helps to add to it's silkiness, but it calls for creme fraiche. I have always made a filo dough crust instead of a flaky tart dough crust that Chad and Elizabeth make, and I usually add small spinach leaves to the batter. You could add mushrooms, roasted bell peppers, asparagus, or whatever other vegetable you like.  I also doubled the amount of thyme, or you could triple it . Be creative !

                                                                Ingredients

1 Package of Filo Dough
1 cube butter, melted (You may have butter left over.)
5 eggs
3 Tbsp All-purpose flour
1 cup Creme fraiche
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
2-3 Tbsp Fresh thyme, finely chopped (I increased the amount.)

                                                                Procedure

   Get out a pie or quiche dish. Melt the cube of butter in a little saucepan. Butter the sides and bottom of the quiche dish, Open up the package of filo dough sheets and open out flat 1/4- 1/3 of them on a baking sheet. With a pastry brush, brush the butter on the top filo sheet. Press the filo sheet to the bottom and sides of the quiche dish. Fold the sides down that are too tall and press them against the sides of the dish. Butter as many filo sheets as you want to make a 1/4 inch crust.
   Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place one egg and the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl and mix at high speed or by hand with a whisk until smooth. Mix or whisk in the remaining 4 eggs until blended. In a medium bowl, whisk the creme fraiche until it is perfectly and then whisk in the milk. Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve held over the milk mixture. Whisk in the salt, pepper, and thyme. (You can prepare the custard up to 4 days in advance before baking; cover or refrigerate. The flour, thyme, and pepper will settle to the bottom of the storage container and can stick to it, so whisk well before using.)
   Pour the egg mixture into the crust. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes longer or more. The center of the quiche should feel slightly firm, rather than liquidly, when touched. Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes to allow the custard to set up, so that it will slice neatly. It can be served warm or at room temperature. To serve a fully cooled quiche warm, cover it with an aluminum foil and reheat in a 325 degree F for about 15 minutes. I served this quiche at  intimate bridal brunches for my daughters Brittany and Ashley when they were engaged !
    May God bless you and may you be blessed with happy times around the table with friends, family,  delicious food, interesting conversations, and lots of laughter !!