Description

Fiddleheads are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested as a vegetable and have been part of diets in much of Northern France since the beginning of the Middle Ages, Asia as well as among Native Americans for centuries. They taste somewhat like aspar

Ingredients

• 1 homemade or store-bought 9 inch, deep dish pie shell
• 2 shallots, peeled, halved and sliced
• 1 t. oil
• 24-36 fiddleheads, washed and trimmed
• 1 c. shredded Emmental cheese (a medium hard Swiss cheese), or cheese of choice
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 c. heavy (35%) whipping cream
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• assorted herbs; chives, parsley, pea shoots, thyme etc.

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare fiddleheads: brush off brown husks from around the fronds; wash well several times in cold water; trim thick, woody stem ends, cutting almost back to the frond.
3. Cook fiddleheads in boiling water about 15 minutes or steam about 10 minutes; remove; drain; allow to cool slightly.