I only had three truly dramatic showdowns when I was pregnant. One of them, perhaps the most infamous, was at a lovely little bakery and patisserie in Georgetown, Paul. The gals claimed the table while the fellas went to order at the counter. I requested the ham and cheese quiche, please. (I could’ve eaten quiche any day for any meal back then.) A few Perriers later the waiter brought our food. Even though it only took about 10 minutes, that was approximately nine minutes and thirty-three seconds too long given my current state of hunger.

“Who had the salmon tartlet?”

Silence.

Nate said, “Oh, she did” pointing in my direction.

The world literally stopped turning in that moment. Immediate and unstoppable tears proceeded to flow from my eyeballs. “I CAN’T EAT THAT! I WILL VOMIT ON YOUR FACE! I ASKED FOR THE QUICHE! THE QUICHE!”

Ten minutes later I was enjoying a truly delicious ham quiche. And then a pain au chocolat, obviously.

So, when I asked Nate what he wanted for Father’s Day breakfast, he said he’d really enjoy the ham and cheese quiche I made a while ago circa de Paul. Absolutely.

(Scroll down for the recipe!)

{Ingredients}
Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water
Filling
Two tablespoons olive oil
Two small leeks, sliced
Half red onion, chopped
One cup sliced mushrooms
One cup grated gruyere
Half cup grated swiss cheese
Half cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
Pinch of nutmeg
Sea salt and pepper
One cup diced ham steak

{Directions}
1. Make the dough. I followed this recipe and it made just enough dough for a deep pie dish.
2. Caramelize the leeks and onions by sautéing them in the olive oil on low heat for 40-50 minutes. (PS I totally stole the idea from this recipe.)
3. Whisk the eggs, sour cream, and milk together. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. I like lots of pepper.
4. Prepare the pie dish with butter and then roll out the dough. Place the dough in the pan and press into the folds. I wet my finger tips to prevent the edge from browning too much and to keep nice curves with the dish.
5. Layer the leek/onion mixture, the mushrooms, ham, and the cheeses in the pie dish.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the ingredients in the pie dish. It’s going to be full, be careful of spillage!
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 75 minutes (since I used a deep dish, it took forever to cook).
8. Let cool for 10 minutes or so and enjoy! I always prefer quiche to be warm, but I some folks enjoy it cold or room temperature.