Sun-Dried Tomato, Goat's Cheese and Broccoli Quiche

Allow me to boast a bit, as I have made the most exquisite quiche ever. I wanted to make something lovely to celebrate "la fête nationale" or Bastille Day and I was sort of in the mood for the creamy smoothness of a quiche. After consulting a few of my cookbooks, I decided to do a little experimenting and try something different. You probably noticed from my last posts that I am slightly addicted to strawberries... well, the same goes for sun-dried tomatoes. I love the way they lift the flavor of almost any dish and being artistically inclined, I am very partial to their deep, burgundy color. Goat's cheese always seems to work well with these little guys as does broccoli, so I came up with a gorgeous recipe using these three main ingredients. Just as I expected, the flavors came together in perfect harmony and each bite had that certain something that I associate with a winning dish. Funny how I never thought of adding sun-dried tomatoes to my quiche!

Here's the recipe:

Sun- Dried Tomato, Goat's Cheese and Broccoli Quiche

For the pastry:
*200g flour
*125g cold butter cut into small cubes
*1/2 tsp salt
*one beaten egg
*iced water, if needed

Filling:
*150g chèvre (soft goat's cheese)
*3 eggs
*250ml single cream
*1 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
*300g broccoli florets
*100g sun-dried tomatoes, in strips
*salt and pepper to taste

Mix flour with butter and salt in processor at low speed for about 20 seconds until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add beaten egg and pulse until dough comes together into a ball. If the dough seems dry, add a drop or two of iced water. Shape the dough into a disk and refrigerate 4o minutes wrapped in cling film. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before using it.

Preheat oven to 180C and grease a 25cm quiche pan with a little olive oil. Blanch broccoli in boiling water for two minutes, run under cold water and set aside. Roll out your dough on a floured surface and drape over quiche pan pressing it up against the edges. Prick the dough with a fork all over its surface and bake for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile beat cream, eggs, cheese, thyme, salt and pepper. Fold in sun-dried tomatoes and broccoli florets. Pour mix in prepared quiche pan and bake for 40 minutes. Allow it to rest in the oven for an extra five minutes before serving. Serve with a simple green salad and a vinaigrette made with olive oil, herb vinegar, grainy mustard and a pinch of salt.