In a time long gone by, before I was forced to give up gluten, I was a girl who loved quiche. There used to be a deli that I drove past on my way to work and once or twice a week I would stop in there and buy a slice of their home made quiche to take to work for lunch. It was a thick based quiche filled with a variety of different ingredients which changed every day, plenty of egg and flaky pastry crust. Not exactly the pinnacle of healthy eating but something I would really look forward to each time I bought it.
Those days are well and truly over and the times that I enjoy my quiche are so few and far between that it feels even more like a special treat. When I was first diagnosed, I struggled with creating a workable gluten free pastry as it can be much more temperamental and sensitive to handling. As a compromise I searched for a pastry free, grain free alternative to use as a quiche base and stumbled upon the idea of using polenta instead. After trying this for the first time, the concept stuck and this recipe became ingrained as one of my regulars even after I worked out how to make gluten free pastry that tasted good. Since that day, my polenta quiche has made many appearances in various forms and has even converted the gluten eaters of the family.
I love following the seasons and eating what’s fresh and local. At the moment we have an overload of zucchini which gave me the perfect inspiration for my second Christmas dish for Belmont Forum’s Twelve Days of Bloggers Christmas. We tend to eat vegetarian at home but for those meat eaters out there, this polenta quiche would go beautifully with some pan fried pancetta added in. And for those on a paleo diet, change the yoghurt to coconut cream and leave out the cheese. 😉
- 1½ cups gluten free vegetable stock
- 1¼ cups water
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1¼ cups polenta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 & ½ cups plain Greek yoghurt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small zucchini cut into ribbons
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Preheat the oven to 190 C.
- Bring the stock and water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the salt. Slowly add the polenta in a thin stream, whisking constantly, and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Decrease the heat to low and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every few minutes to keep the polenta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Stir in the cheese, egg and pepper.
- Grease a 25 cm quiche pan with olive oil. Have a glass of cold water ready to help mould the polenta into the quiche base. Spoon the polenta into the pan and press it out with your hands or a spoon, pushing it up the sides. You can dip your hands or the spoon into the cold water to help set the polenta as you go. Set the pan aside for 15 minutes to cool then form an even rim about 1.5 cm thick with moist fingers, pressing firmly.
- Whisk the yoghurt, eggs, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper together until well-combined. Place the zucchini ribbons in the prepared quiche pan. Pour the yoghurt mixture evenly over the zucchini. Sprinkle over the top with goat cheese and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake the quiche until the top turns golden brown and the filling is set, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for about 30 minutes.
Looks mighty delicious Martine – I love polenta and somewhere I had got a crust that uses it – but I will give yours a try as it looks as if it holds together well.
Thanks Rachel! Hope you enjoy it!
What a great idea to use polenta! I guess we really take things like pastry and baked good for granted when we don’t have to eat GF!
SO true! It was such a shock to the system when I had to give it all up! GF pastry just isn’t the same!
What an awesome idea Martine! I struggle with gluten free pastry bases, I’ve tried many recipes without much luck. This polenta pastry eliminates the need to try and replicate ‘pastry’ techniques or texture – a strike of delicious genius, methinks! Gorgeous pictures too. I am definitely going to try this xxx
Oh its a relief to hear I’m not the only one that struggles. It just doesn’t handle as magically as normal pastry. I was totally chuffed when I discovered I could use polenta instead!
What a pretty quiche! And so cheeseeyyy!!! Cheese lovers should be feasting with the flavours in this quiche
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Thank you lovely! It was a very moreish treat!
Dear Martine,
This is such a clever and delicious recipe for those who can’t have gluten.
Thanks so much…it is such a relief to have an easy go to option!
Interesting to learn about using polenta as a crust for quiche. I like reading about your investigations into gluten free alternatives and this dish looks great too, so vibrant!
It has certainly brought out the experimental chef in me! Something I never knew I had! Glad you are enjoying my journey too! xx
I love a polenta based quiche! What a fabulous recipes – it looks incredible.
Thanks lovely, such an easy way to please the “normal” ones lol
Oh! Love this idea! You’re a little genius Martine xx
Thanks beautiful! xx
woah – this looks amazing. Have never tried a polenta crust before but look how vibrant it is. Pinned – anything w/ goats cheese rocks my world.
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Oh my goodness, thank you for this amazing recipe! I made it for dinner tonight and it was divine, definitely going to become a staple in my diet! So clever to use polenta instead of pastry!! Xx
My pleasure, Im so glad you loved it!