19-inchhomemade or store-bought deep dish pie shell
2shallots, peeled, halved and sliced
1teaspooncooking oil
24-36fiddleheads, washed and trimmed
1cupshredded Emmental cheese, or cheese of your choice
4largeeggs
3/4cupheavy 35% whipping cream
Pinchnutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Assorted herbs, such as chives, parsley, pea shoots, thyme etc.
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Instructions
Prepare fiddleheads by brushing off any brown husk from around the fronds. Wash well several times in cold water. Trim thick, woody stem end, cutting almost back to the frond.
Cook fiddleheads in boiling water for about 15 minutes or steaming for about 10 minutes. Remove/drain and allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, pre-bake pie shell in a 375° F. oven for 7-8 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Leave oven on. Saute shallots with oil in a skillet over medium heat, until tender. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
When all ingredients are ready, place pie shell on a baking sheet. Scatter fiddleheads over bottom of cooked pie shell. Sprinkle cooked shallots over top. Distribute shredded cheese over top. Pour egg/cream mixture slowly over-top. Scatter herbs over the top, using a fork to distribute them evenly, then using the backside of the fork to press them gently down into the liquid.
Place quiche in the oven on the baking sheet and bake until golden and set, about 30-35 minutes.
Notes
It’s important to note that fiddleheads always need to be cooked. And cooked well. They are not the kind of green that you can eat raw (or add raw to other dishes). To cook fiddleheads, you can either boil or steam them. You’ll want to boil them for about 15 minutes or steam for about 10 minutes.