Every good recipe at Eumelia seems to start the same way: with a bit too much of something good.
A few years ago, our garden was giving us more leeks than we knew what to do with. In Greece we're used to using them sparingly — a handful tucked into spanakopita alongside the spinach, never really the star of the dish. That year we had a surplus on our hands, and we found ourselves wondering what else we could make with them.
Around that time, we had a young intern staying with us from France. He looked at our leeks and said he knew exactly what to do — he wanted to make himself a tarte aux poireaux, a classic French leek tart, quiche style. So he rolled up his sleeves and made it himself, right there in our kitchen, using nothing but what we had on hand.
We were all amazed. It was simple, it was comforting, and it made wonderful use of the leeks without anyone getting tired of the flavor.
Since that day, the recipe never really left our kitchen. We kept making it, tweaking it slowly into something that feels entirely our own — plenty of fresh eggs from our own chickens, the local feta from Monemvasia standing in for a French cheese, and of course, leeks straight from the garden. These days it shows up on our table as an elegant appetizer before dinner, or just as often as a hearty breakfast pie to start the day.
Here is how we make it.
Ingredients
Makes one 9-inch quiche — serves 6
For the pâte sablée (shortcrust pastry)
200g / 7 oz all-purpose flour
100g / 3.5 oz cold butter, cubed
1 egg
Pinch of salt
For the filling
4 large leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole milk, warmed
2 large eggs
150g / 5.3 oz feta cheese, crumbled — ideally Monemvasia feta
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
Method
Step 1 — Make the pastry In a bowl, rub the cold, cubed butter into the flour with your fingertips, or pulse in a food processor, until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Add the pinch of salt, then the egg, and mix gently just until the dough comes together. Don't overwork it, or the crust will turn tough instead of sandy and delicate.
Step 2 — Chill the dough Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This rest is what keeps a pâte sablée crisp instead of shrinking back on you in the oven.
Step 3 — Line the tart pan Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and line a 9-inch tart pan, pressing it gently into the edges. Prick the base a few times with a fork, then chill the lined shell for another 15 minutes.
Step 4 — Blind-bake the shell Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F. Blind-bake the shell with pastry weights or dried beans on parchment paper for 10 to 12 minutes, then a few minutes more without them, until pale gold and dry to the touch. Set aside to cool slightly — pâte sablée is fragile, so let it firm up before filling.
Step 5 — Soften the leeks In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the sliced leeks, season with a pinch of salt, and cook gently, stirring often, for about 15 minutes, until very soft and sweet but not browned.
Step 6 — Make the béchamel Push the leeks to one side of the pan, or transfer them to a bowl. In the same pan, sprinkle the flour over the remaining butter and whisk into a paste. Cook for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in the warm milk, whisking constantly until smooth and thickened.
Step 7 — Season the sauce Stir in the nutmeg, pepper, and remaining salt. Fold the softened leeks back into the béchamel and remove from heat. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 8 — Add eggs and feta Once the béchamel-leek mixture is no longer piping hot, whisk in the eggs until fully incorporated. Gently fold in the crumbled feta, keeping some larger crumbles for texture on top.
Step 9 — Fill and bake Pour the filling into the blind-baked shell, spreading evenly, and scatter a few extra feta crumbles on top. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for about 35 minutes, until the filling is set and lightly golden, with just a slight jiggle in the center.
Step 10 — Rest and serve Let the quiche cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This helps it set fully and gives the delicate pâte sablée time to hold together.
A note on the béchamel
Using béchamel instead of a straight cream-and-egg custard is what gives this quiche its silkier, more forgiving texture. Use farm-fresh eggs and a young, briny feta so it doesn't overpower the leeks — that balance is what made this recipe worth keeping in the first place.
Can I make it ahead? Yes. It keeps well and can be made a day ahead, then reheated gently — perfect for a relaxed morning or an easy start to dinner.
Can I use a regular pie crust instead of pâte sablée? You can, but the pâte sablée is what gives the quiche its delicate, slightly sandy bite. It's more fragile to work with, so handle it cold and patch any cracks with your fingers before filling.
