Tomorrow is the first day of Spring... or to some, Ostara. The weather here has been incredibly obliging to Mother Nature's schedule and the girls have been running about the yard in shorts and begging for me to set up the sprinkler. We threw open the windows this weekend and filled the house with early blooms from the garden, it's been lovely.

 

And what is Spring without salmon and asparagus? Sunday we put together this quick and beautiful dinner to celebrate the season. You can make this without the goat cheese, but it's my favorite element. I paired the quiche with a simple watercress salad full of greens - enjoy!

SMOKED SALMON, ASPARAGUS & GOAT CHEESE QUICHE

Preheat oven to 325F.

1 pie/quiche crust (see my recipe and instructions here)

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

salt & pepper

1 bunch of asparagus

olive oil

8 oz. smoked salmon

8 oz. goat cheese

Make and roll out your crust and place into a pie or tarte pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then pull from the oven.

Wash, then cut about 2 inches off the ends of the asparagus and lay them on a lightly oiled baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse black pepper and sea salt. Roast for 10 minutes, then pull out and cool. Cut the asparagus into 3-4 inch pieces and set aside.

 

Mix heavy cream, eggs and salt and pepper together until thoroughly combined. 

In your partially baked crust, layer half the smoked salmon, a third of the asparagus (you'll save the final third for the salad) and half of the goat cheese. Repeat to create another layer, then pour the cream and egg mixture over this. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let sit for 15-20 minutes until firm enough to cut. Enjoy!

 

(For the salad, I just threw together watercress, the remaining asparagus, green grapes cut into half pieces, chopped green onions and diced green apples - toss with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar - salt and pepper to taste.)

And our soundtrack to Spring...

OSTARA

Waiting For The Sun : The Doors

Changing The Rain : The Horrors

Bright Futures : Gyspsyblood

Rise From The Shadows : Alberta Cross

At Home : Crystal Fighters

Navigate : Band of Skulls

The Task : Ume

Rainbow : Oh Land

One By One : The Ting Tings

Forever Young : Bob Dylan

Gifts and the Raft : The Cave Singers

Fog Emotion : Vetiver

Dream Evie : Dirty Three

Listen here.

Comments

[Mary Catherine]

Ah Azaleas! One of my favorite blooms. Gorgeous welcome to the Spring. :)

[jen]

beautiful, as always! and the colors of those eggs--amazing! alya is a beauty. as is adie, of course.

[jen a]

mc - i know! they are so beautiful - we have several bushes on the property - and they are bursting at the moment!

jen - thanks love! they are from kristina's chickens!

[Amanda]

this is so lovely, jen.
i especially love that last shot with Ayla in the background. this looks delish!
i'm a little jealous (no, a lot jealous) that it's so warm there already.

[jen a]

that's my favorite shot too ;) xo

[Sylvie (A Pot of Tea)]

Beautiful looking quiche. I love the green eggs, can't find them here very often. Happy Spring!

[jen a]

sylvie - amazing right? they are from a girlfriend's chickens!

[Rebekah]

OMG, your eggs! They are BEAUTIFUL!! Very very jealous of them. And you! ; ) The quiche looks divine as well. Perfect springtime meal, imo.

[jen a]

thank you rebekah - makes me want my own chickens!

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