Leek Quiche — Something Egg-Based for the Week You Just Wait

Thirty-six weeks. The OB appointment on Thursday said: any time now. Any time. I stood in the parking lot after the appointment and called Ryan and said any time and he said okay and I said okay and we drove home separately because we had driven separately and I went home and stood in the warm ivory kitchen for a while and thought about the year since January when we decided, and the five years since we met in a bar on Western Avenue over a wrongly ordered drink, and the year of the pandemic proposal, and the wedding in the rain, and the flour on Babcia Rose hands over the pierogi table, and the crib Steve built in his garage for a year before we needed it.

I did not cook anything elaborate this week. I made scrambled eggs on Tuesday because sometimes scrambled eggs are the thing. I ate crackers and soup and some of the freezer meals and drank a lot of water and walked the apartment slowly and felt the twins move, both of them, and said hi to both of them the way Ryan says hi to them every day. He taught me this. I am using it.

Patty is on call, which is a phrase she has never used in her life and which she adopted immediately when I told her any time now. She has a bag packed. I said Patty you do not need a bag. She said she knows. She packed a bag anyway. It is very Patty of her and also exactly right and I am going to let her have the bag because she is the person who organized my entire wedding and has been calling me at 7:15 every morning for twenty-seven years and has loved me in the specific Patty way that is both overwhelming and completely load-bearing and I am not going to argue about the bag.

Any time now. We are ready. We are waiting. Here we are.

I said I made scrambled eggs on Tuesday, and that is true, and they were the right thing. But earlier that same week — before the appointment, before the parking lot, before any time now — I had made this leek quiche and put most of it in the freezer with the other freezer meals Ryan and I have been quietly stacking like a soft, edible form of getting ready. It is egg-based and calm and requires almost nothing from you once it’s in the oven, which felt correct for where I was. If you are in a threshold week of any kind, I think this is the recipe.

Leek Quiche

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep crust. Preheat oven to 375°F. Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish or tart pan and crimp the edges. Line with parchment and pie weights or dried beans, then blind-bake for 10 minutes. Remove weights and bake 3 more minutes until just set. Set aside.
2. Cook the leeks. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until very soft and lightly golden. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until smooth and fully combined.
4. Assemble the quiche. Scatter the cooked leeks evenly over the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the leeks, then pour the egg custard over everything. Scatter thyme on top.
5. Bake. Bake at 375°F for 35–40 minutes, until the center is just set and the top is lightly golden. A slight jiggle in the very center is fine — it will firm up as it cools.
6. Rest and serve. Let the quiche rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. To freeze, cool completely, wrap individual slices tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat at 325°F for 15–20 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 340mg