Savory Custard with Leeks and Cauliflower

Due to allergies and other health issues, I have eliminated a lot of items from my diet including grains and I have reduced the amount of carbohydrates that I eat. As a result, I am always on the lookout for side dishes that are flavorful, easy to make and do not contain grain, white potato, or starchy vegetables. 

I found various quiche recipes that sounded delicious, but alas, quiche is made with a crust. Crust equals grain and carbohydrates, so this wouldn't work for me. HOWEVER! What goes in the crust is actually a form of custard. So why not make a savory custard instead of a sweet custard?

Custards are a liquid thickened or set by the coagulation of egg protein. Therefore, the most important and only required ingredient to a custard is egg. The most famous type of quiche is Quiche Lorraine which is a savory quiche featuring bacon perfected by the legendary Julia Child. Since I wanted a savory custard that would compliment a roast I didn't want any meat in it. So, after a quick trip to the grocery store for a look at the fresh produce, I came up with the combination of leeks and cauliflower. If you decide to test out this recipe, please let me know how you like it.

Savory Custard with Leeks and Cauliflower

4 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

3 leeks

1 head of cauliflower

3 Tbls butter

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Rinse the leeks and cauliflower. Slice leeks crosswise into 1/4 inch disks. Cut high enough up the stalk to get some green too. Cut up the cauliflower into smallish bite-size pieces. You will want about one and one half cup of each.

On stove top, melt butter in saute pan and toss in cauliflower, leeks, and salt and pepper to taste. I used about 1/2 teaspoon of each. Saute until leeks and cauliflower are translucent. Pour this mixture in to a greased round glass casserole dish. You will want this to cool a little.

Next beat four large eggs and and add to them 1 cup of heavy cream. The secret to the next step is to make sure that the vegetables are cool enough that the eggs do not begin to cook immediately upon touching them. Mix the egg and cream mixture into the leeks and cauliflower.

Place in oven and bake about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. 

Some people like their custards/quiches with a golden brown color and some don't. Mine might be too brown for some, but I like it that way. I calculated that the recipe above, as written, has 6.95 carbohydrates per each of 4 servings. If you must ask how many calories per serving, than maybe you don't want to make it!

Happy Eating.