Asparagus, Brie, and Boursin Quiche

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Put your pie crust into a 9-10 inch quiche pan and then prick it all over with a fork. Line the crust with foil and press down. Pour beans, rice, or pie weights over the foil so the crust doesn’t puff up while baking.

Bake crust for 10 minutes, then remove foil and weights and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set crust aside. Reduce oven to 350º F.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté shallots, sprinkled with salt and pepper, until they just begin to soften, and then reduce heat to medium-low and allow them to begin to caramelize.

While shallots are sautéing, choose 8 asparagus spears that are uniform in size and shape. Snap off the tough ends, and then trim the tops of the spears so they will fit around the top of the quiche like spokes on a wheel. Set these 8 trimmed pieces aside. Chop the remaining bunch of asparagus into bite sized pieces.

Once shallots begin to caramelize, add your chopped asparagus. Sauté an additional 5 minutes.

Pour asparagus mixture over the bottom of the prepared pie crust.

Dot the quiche with brie and 1/4 – 1/2 the package of Boursin.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly with a fork. Add heavy cream and beat lightly to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and, if using, add freshly grated nutmeg.

Slowly pour the custard mixture over the asparagus and cheese. The custard should come up just under the rim of the pie crust. Don’t worry if you don’t use all of the custard.

Arrange the 8 asparagus spears that you trimmed and set aside earlier on the top of the quiche like the spokes on a wheel.

Place quiche on a baking sheet to catch any overflow, and bake at 350º F for 40 minutes or until the quiche is lightly browned and no longer jiggles when you shake it.

Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before you slice it. Alternatively, allow to cool completely, wrap in plastic, and store in the refrigerator overnight. If you do this, reheat for 15-20 minutes at 350º F before serving.