Julia Child's Spinach Quiche

Combine: Start by preheating the oven to 400f/200c. Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and vegetable shortening, and using the tips of your fingers, combine the ingredients. The result should look like loose breadcrumbs.

Blend: Slowly add the ice water to the mixture and form a dough ball. Divide the dough into two and shape it into a flattened circle. Wrap each disk individually in cling wrap and place it in the refrigerator to rest for a minimum of 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Rolling: Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a circle about 1/8. The dough should be 2 inches wider than your pan. So for a 9-inch tart pan, I will roll the dough into an 11-inch round disk. You will want to work quickly to keep the butter as cold as possible. Once rolled, use your rolling pin to lift the dough and place it into your tart or pie pan. Using your fingers, press the dough into place. Run your rolling pin over the top and remove excess dough. Using your thumbs, push the dough 1/8 of an inch above the edge of the pan. Take a fork and press into the edge of the dough to make a decorative edge. Then take a fork and prick the pastry all over to create air vents, including the sides, at 1/2-inch intervals. Refrigerate if not baking right away.

Partial Blind Bake: Line the top of the pastry with aluminum foil or parchment paper to create a barrier between the dough and the dough weights. Cover the edges of the pastry with the barrier if possible. Fill with dough weights (dried beans, lentils, rice, or pastry weights). The goal here is to weigh down the pastry, so it does not rise. Bake for 8 - 9 minutes. Remove the pastry from the oven and remove the weights. Make additional pricks into the dough with your fork and bake for 2 - 3 minutes more. When the shell starts to turn golden or shrink from the sides of the baking dish, remove it from the oven.

Prep: Preheat the oven to 375f. Whisk together eggs, cream, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Set aside.

Spinach: Use either fresh or frozen spinach. Follow the correlating instructions. Fresh Spinach Instructions: Start a pot of boiling water. While you are waiting, clean the spinach to remove all the dirt and de-stem the spinach leaves. A handful at a time, place the spinach in the boiling water and cook for two minutes. Remove the spinach and run under cold water. Then, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible and cut the spinach into small pieces. Repeat until you have 1 and 1/4 cups of spinach. Frozen Spinach Instructions: Defrost the spinach just enough to slice it by bearing it down with your knife. Melt an additional 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan or skillet. Stir in the spinach, cover, and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Remove the cover and cook until all the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Saute: Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add diced shallots and cook until done about 1 - 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until the water has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes before moving on to the next step.

Combine and bake: Add the spinach mixture to the bowl with the egg mixture. If the spinach is very hot, allow more time to cool down. Add the spinach to the egg mixture in quarter increments. Use caution not to scramble the eggs. Pour the mixture into the pastry shell, sprinkle the top with Swiss cheese, and dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes. You will know the quiche is done when you insert a knife and it comes out clean.