Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
Mini Quiches
Seasonal vegetables, bathed in a creamy plant-based custard and wrapped in a light, crispy chickpea crust make delightful bite-sized hors d'oeuvres.
Makes 24 mini-quiches
Prep time: 1 hour
Baking Time: 8-12 minutes
Special Equipment: 24 two-inch mini fluted tart tins
1 large red onion, cut in a medium dice
1 bunch Swiss chard or large bunch of beet greens, cut in a chiffonade (rolled tightly and sliced thinly)
2 golden, red or Chioggia beets, peeled, cut in a small dice
1 medium sweet potato, cut in a medium dice
1 large crown of broccoli, cut into small florets
Dry vermouth or salt-free vegetable broth to deglaze
1 tablespoon tapioca powder
1 tablespoon arrowroot
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup silken tofu, drained well
1- 1¼ cup unsweeteend almond or soy milk
3/4 teaspoon shiro (white) miso paste or to taste
Pinch freshly ground white pepper
2 cups chickpea flour (besan in South Asian groceries)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon shiro (white) miso paste
Pinch of white pepper
2 teaspoons arrowroot
1 tablespoon freshly ground golden flaxseed
1/3 cup water
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add the onions and dry sauté until they release their liquid and darken the pan's surface. Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of vermouth or broth, scraping up the caramelized onion sugars that have adhered to the pan. Stir in the greens and sauté until wilted and tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
Steam the diced beets, sweet potato, and broccoli florets separately until just tender.
In a blender or food processor combine the tapioca and arrowroot starches, nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powders, turmeric. Pulse. Add the silken tofu, vinegar, and plant milks. Blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce into a medium saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce is fairly thick and drops off a spoon in soft glops. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Season with white pepper and shiro miso to taste. Set aside.
In a food processor combine chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, white pepper, shiro miso, arrowroot, freshly ground flaxseed. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, VERY gradually add 2/3rds of the water. Wait a full minute to see if the dough gathers in a ball. If it remains granular and fails to form a ball of dough, add a teaspoon more water at a time, slowly, until it does. The dough should be soft and pliant, like Play-Doh. Adjust with more chickpea flour or water as needed.
Dust a board with chickpea flour and using a rolling pin or bottle roll out the dough until it is quite thin, about 1/16" in thickness. You will need to dust the dough and flip it over repeatedly to avoid its sticking to the board.
Hint: For easy removal of the mini-quiches after baking, the dough, after conforming to the tin's flutes, should extend slightly beyond the top edge of the tin, creating an easy edge to grasp and loosen them for removal.
Cut out the dough with a glass or dough cutter to fit your baking tins, extending slightly beyond each tin's lip. Gently press each dough disk into each tin.
Preheat oven to 425° F.
In a bowl, combine the sautéed onion and greens with the steamed sweet potato and broccoli florets. Add enough dense white sauce and mix to coat all the vegetables well, saving a little sauce to top the filled dough cups later. If your sauce has thickened too much to spread easily, stir in a teaspoon or two of plant milk. Lastly, gently fold in the beets, stirring minimally to prevent its color from bleeding throughout the mix.
Fill your Spoon the mixture into your dough cups, filling them completely. Top each quiche with an additional dollop of white sauce.
Bake for 8 to 12 minutes or until the cups are golden and the quiche custard filling is hot and lightly toasted on top. Do not overbake.
Rest the mini-quiches on a cooling rack for 5 minutes before wiggling them loose from their tins. Serve immediately.
If you make these mini-quiches in advance, reheat them in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes until they are heated through.