Provençale-style Quiche

Defrost the puff pastry.

Peel the lower third of the asparagus, then cut off woody ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes. Remove, plunge into cold water then drain well.

Wipe the mushrooms using a clean kitchen towel and slice. Rinse and halve the tomatoes, cut out stem and then quarter. Rinse and halve the bell pepper, remove seeds and ribs and dice into small cubes. Rinse and pat dry the eggplant and zucchini, Slice them both into quarters lengthwise, and then into small slices Sprinkle eggplant with salt and let sit for  approximately 10 minutes, then pat dry. Cut the proscuitto into thin strips.

Peel and finely chop the garlic, then saute in a skillet with hot oil until translucent. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant and the proscuitto. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Mix the eggs with the heavy cream, grated Parmesan and cream fraiche. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Combine the sauteed vegetables with the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (approximately 400°F).

Place the thawed puff pastry on a floured surface and roll out a little larger than the quiche pan. Line a greased quiche mold with the puff pastry. Prick the bottom of the pastry several times with a fork. Spread the vegetable mixture on the pastry evenly and top with the asparagus spears. Brush edges with melted butter and bake for about 30-35 minutes.