Vincent et son lait Ribot – Quiche aux champignons sauvages, rutabagas, fromage frais et lait ribot

I made this post, essentially for Vincent (oui rien que pour toi!), our dear friend from Bretagne (Brittany) and originally from a small town of Malestroit who introduced me to lait ribot very recently. I had no idea what lait ribot was before that night. He was making something très Breton, like crunchy buckwheat galettes soaked in lait ribot, and I was so skeptical and curious at the same time. I thought “Lait quoi??” “lait ribot? c’est quoi ca?” (lait ribot, what’s that?). He said, “c’est breton, en Bretagne ca se mange comme ca”. So let’s eat it the Breton way!

When I tasted it, I loved it. It was love at first bite! Lait Ribot is a specialty milk from Bretagne, that’s why I never heard of it (in France, outside of Bretagne, it’s almost impossible to find) and is wildly used there to make crêpes, galettes and so many other dishes but it’s also consumed as a refreshing drink. It’s basically a fermented milk that you get after the fabrication of the butter (in French you can also call it petit lait, or babeurre, literally meaning beating the butter, or beated milk) and its consumption is retraced back to the Gauls! Every country has its own version of fermented milk, and in the US it’s called buttermilk.

If it was not for Vincent, I would not have bought buttermilk…so I owe him this one.

Call me ignorant but I had no idea lait Ribot was similar to buttermilk. I had no idea about the existence of lait ribot, and I had no idea what buttermilk was either. So pardon my ignorance…Usually when I see the word “butter” on a bottle, I don’t bother. I stay away from butter.

After drinking lait ribot and thinking about its use, I decided to try it in a quiche and substitute it to cream which would probably make the quiche less rich and of course lighter.

I made an olive oil wholewheat crust instead of a traditional pâte brisée which gave the quiche a wholesome and hearty flavor and texture. I usually love root vegetables with wild mushrooms, they complement each other very well.

The farmer’s cheese comes from my Greek grocery store, Taki the owner sells the most unique and unexpected products, this cheese looks similar to ricotta but is not salty, more tangy and lighter in calories. So needless to say that this quiche is very light…and so delicious! Ils sont forts ces bretons!

MERCI VINCENT!

Ingredients for 6 people

For the crust

  • 4.23 oz (or 110 g) wholewheat flour
  • water
  • 4 tbs olive oil
  • salt

For the filling

  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lb mixed wild mushrooms such as chanterelles, shiitake, oyster’s mushrooms, etc…
  • 4 medium size rutabagas
  • 5 large tbs farmer’s cheese (or ricotta)
  • 1 tbs mixed herbs (chives, parsley, thyme, etc…)
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
  • 3 tbs Gruyère cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper

Preparation

For the crust

Place flour in a mixing container, add olive oil, water and salt and mix to form an homogeneous dough. Add enough water to allow the dough to form a ball, non sticky and smooth.

For the filling

Wash rutabagas and peel them. Boil them in water until tender. Cut in 8 mm slices crosswise. Set aside.

Clean and wash the mushrooms, Cut them in medium size pieces. Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and brown them. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until the water evaporates. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix farmer’s cheese with herbs, salt and pepper using a fork.

Roll the dough and place in a non stick round tart pan. Spread the cheese mixture on the bottom. Add a layer of rutabagas on top of the cheese, then mushrooms.

In another mixing container, beat eggs and buttermilk, salt and pepper. Pour on top of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with gruyère cheese and cook in the oven for about 35-40 min at 370F or until the top is golden. Serve hot with an endive salad.