Chicken of the Woods and Leek Quiche

One of my favorit mushrooms is Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus). It grows on withering hardwood trees. I have a few secret spots in the wood where they come back year after year.

It has a mild and... no surprise... chicken like flavor and texture.

First make the  tart crust.

1/1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled

2-3 tablespoons ice water.


Directions:

Mix flour salt and sugar in a bowl

Grate the ice cold butter right in to the flour.

Mix quickly, until it resembles coarse meal.

Add the water as you stir with a wooden spoon, not more than 30  seconds.

Form the dough into a single ball, flatten it into a disk, wrap in  plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

To bake the shell; roll out the chilled dough a quickly as possible on a lightly floured surface.

Press the the dough lightly into the bottom of the pan, lifting the edges and working it gently down into the mold.

Line the pastry with foil and fill it  with pie weights, uncooked rice or beans and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 809 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 2-3 minutes.

Mushroom and leek quiche

3 leeks sliced

1 pound Chicken in the Wood mushrooms sliced

Olive oil or  butter

Salt

1-2 cloves garlic

Italian herbs

1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth

3 eggs

1 cup cream or milk

1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice. I like parmesan.

Directions

Fry the mushrooms and leeks in oil 3-5 minutes , add salt and garlic and herbs

After 5 minutes add wine, let simmer until tender.

In another bowl add cream, eggs and cheese. Add the mushrooms and leeks and pour into pie shell.

Bake at 375 degrees F in the upper part of the oven for 30 minutes, or until brown and firm.