Author Notes
Fiddleheads, or the furled fronds of the Ostrich fern, are foraged every spring. If not cooked thoroughly, they can make you sick. I tend to cook them a little less time than called for because I don't like mushy veggies. But for the sake of best-practice, this recipe ensures well-cooked fronds. Fiddleheads taste somewhere between an asparagus and a mushroom. If you can't find fiddleheads or if they're not in season, use slightly-threatened asparagus (whole or cut) or lightly-sauteed sliced wild mushrooms in place of the fern fronds. —Mary Catherine Tee
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Ingredients
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1
store-bought or homemade pie crust
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2 cups
fiddleheads (read note above)
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2
garlic cloves, minced
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1 cup
whole milk
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1/2 cup
heavy cream
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3
large eggs
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2
egg yolks
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt
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Pinch
red pepper flakes
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8 ounces
goat cheese, crumbled
Directions
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To prepare the fiddleheads, trim the bottom stalks from the shoot. Once well-trimmed, rinse well, doing the best you can to rid them of the brown papery skins. Bring 6 cups of water and a healthy pinch of salt to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add fiddleheads and boil for about 10 minutes. Drain fiddleheads in a colander and run under cold water to halt cooking. Note: it’s okay if the water you drain is a little brown.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fit the pie crust in a 10 inch pie plate. Trim any overhanging dough and crimp the edge if you're feeling fancy. Note: if using a homemade pie crust, consider adding pie weights and baking for 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is firm and lightly browned. This will make for a crispier quiche crust. If using store-bought, this step isn't necessary.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Add the milk, cream, and salt. Whisk until everything is well-combined.
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Spread fiddleheads along the bottom of the pie crust. Crumble goat cheese over the fiddleheads. Sprinkle red pepper flakes over the goat cheese.
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Pour the egg and milk mixtures over the fiddleheads and goat cheese.
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Bake until the center of the quiche has set and the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.
I’m an old soul. My favorite Saturday morning activity is watching birds on the feeder while drinking strong, black coffee out of my favorite hand-thrown mug. My favorite place to kill time is in antique stores. The less organized the better. I like full-bodied red wines and bitter IPAs. I live for feeling the warmth of sunshine and hearing the stillness of freshly fallen snow. I can thank my stint in Alaska for that. I have salt water in my veins, having grown up in Eastern NC, and (shhh…don’t tell any of my Mainer friends this about me) I prefer blue crab over lobster.
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