Spring Onion Quiche with Herby Short-Crust Pastry

We love quiche and make it fairly regulary always trying out new toppings and this time, also a new base.

(serves 4-6)

1 quantity of herby short-crust pastry
2 bunches of spring onions, roughly chopped
2 large cloves of garlic
1 small bunch of parsely, finely chopped
4 large eggs
150 ml soured cream/crème fraîche/ordinary cream
splash of milk
sea salt
black pepper
pinch of nutmeg
extra virgin olive oil

Make the pastry according to the recipe. Grease a 26 cm fluted flan dish with a tiny bit of olive oil. Place the pastry ball into the middle and with your knuckles spread it evenly. Stab a few times with a fork, cover in greaseproof paper, pour on ceramic baking beads (or failing that uncooked rice, chickpeas, beans or similar).

Preheat the oven to 200 °C/gas mark 5 and blind bake for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the topping. Clean and wash the spring onions, then coarsely chop them. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté the spring onions over a medium heat until just softened and lightly brown.

Beat the eggs, season with pepper, salt and nutmeg. Add the cream and milk and mix well. Squeeze the garlic through a garlic press and finely chop the parsley. Add to the egg mix.

When the 15 minutes are up remove the pastry from the oven using oven gloves, pour off the beads and remove the paper. Pour the topping onto the pastry and bake at 200 °C/gas mark 5 for 35-45 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Tomato Topped Courgette Quiche

(serves 8)

one batch of oil and yoghurt dough

2 large courgettes
4 large tomatoes
100 g crème fraîche
125 ml semi-skimmed milk
4 medium eggs
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
unrefined sugar
extra virgin olive oil

Make the dough according to recipe, roll out and place  into an oiled 28 cm silicon mould. Form a nice thick rim.

Top and tail the courgettes, cut lengthways and core, the chop into 1 cm thick slices. Fry until brown, then drain on kitchen paper and season with a little pepper and salt.

In the meantime mix the eggs, milk, crème fraîche and season with pepper, salt and nutmeg.

Cut the tomatoes into 1 cm thick slices and fry for a couple minutes of each side until browned.

Spread the courgettes onto the dough, pour on the egg mix, then top with the tomato slices. Season with pepper and salt and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Bake at 200° C for 45 minutes.

Yoghurt and Oil Dough

Fresh Pea Quiche

In Germany, many cakes and savoury dishes are made with a quark and oil dough, which is a lot lighter than a shortcrust pastry. However, finding quark in the UK is really difficult. 20 years ago I would have bought French fromage frais but nowadays I can only find 0% fat fromage frais, which means this product has thickeners added to it. And I refuse to buy processed foods like that. Ricotta might be a good alternative but it's expensive (in comparison) so I've experimented with yoghurt and I've finally come up with a recipe that work. Only, it was a wee bit too much dough for my 26 cm flan dish and as you can see there's rather a lot of pastry for my fresh pea quiche. But that's okay, I'll reduce the amount of dough next time or buy a larger tin. It's delicious at any rate.

200 g strong white bread flour
100 g wholemeal flour
15 g baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp olive oil
200 g yoghurt/Greek-style yoghurt/soured cream

Combine all the ingredients either by hand or using the kneading hooks of an electric mixer/the kneading knife of a food processor. Roll out and line a lightly greased 30 cm cake tin.

Top with a quiche mix of your choice.

Leek and Pear Filo Tart

When I read about a quiche/tart recipe with leek and pear in Fee's blog, I knew I had to try this combo. But you know me I always have to put my own twist on things. And since I've wanted to try a tarte/quice using filo pastry for ages, I was going to try it with this recipe.

(serves 4-6)

250 g filo pastry
250 g semi-skimmed organic milk
2 whole organic eggs
3 organic egg yolks
2 heaped tbsp soured cream
100 g pancetta
1 leek
1/2 abate pear or 1 conference pear
1/2 roll of goats cheese (75 g)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
50 - 60 g butter

Do all the prep work first: Finely slice the leek and pear, chop the pancetta. Mix milk, eggs, egg yolks and soured cream and season with pepper, a little salt and nutmeg. Thinly slice the goats cheese, then cut the slices in half. Melt the butter without browing it. This is for brushing the filo pastry.

Heat a tiny amount of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the leek and pancetta until the pancetta starts to brown and the leek starts to soften. Add the sliced pear and cook till lightly brown. Take of the heat and set aside.

Lightly brush the first two sheets of filo with melted butter and place side by side on a rectangular baking sheet, so they overlap but also extend over the sides. At the end, we'll crunch up the overhang to form wonderful crust. Carry on brushing and layering the filo pastry two sheets at the time.

Spread the leek, pear and pancetta mix evenly onto the pastry. Season with a touch of pepper. Add the goats cheese and pour on the egg mix. Scrunch up the overhanging pastry and give it one last brush with melted butter.

In a preheated oven, bake at 200 °C/gas mark 5 for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold with a crunchy green salad.

I dressed my cut and come again salad from the garden with my favourite vinaigrette and added the other half of the pear.

Pea Quiche

Shortcrust pastry:
200 g wholemeal, ordinary or white bread flower
100 g unsalted butter
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp water

500 g peas in their pods (approx. 170 g peas, you can, of course, use frozen peas)
4 eggs
2 heaped tbsp crème fraiche or soured cream
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
1-2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped or crushed

1. Make the pastry by combining flour, baking poweder, salt and butter adding water as required. Grease a 26 cm quiche base with a little olive oil and press the pastry into it. Stab several times with a fork make. Cover with grease-proof paper and dried peas or similar and bake blind at gas mark 5, 200 °C for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile make the filling. Boil some water and cook the peas seasoned with black pepper for 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Place the eggs and cream in a bowl. Season with pepper and salt and beat together. Add the peas and pour onto the base.

3. Bake for approx. 40 minutes at 200°C, 175° in fan-assisted oven or gas mark 5.

Vegetarian Quiche

Please see Variations under Quiche Lorraine.

Quiche Lorraine

I have abolutely no idea whether there are onions and garlic in a traditional Quiche Lorraine but they are in here. It's really easy to convert this dish into a vegetarian option. See variations below.

Shortcrust pastry:
125 g wholemeal flour
100 g bread flour
100 g unsalted butter
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp water
a little sea salt

Filling:
3-4 eggs
150 ml soured cream
2-3 onions, finely chopped
60-100 g lardons or chopped pancetta
2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
75 g cheese (e. g. Gouda, mature cheddar, gruyère, emmental), grated
sea salt
black pepper

1. Make the pastry by combining flour, baking poweder, salt and butter adding water as required. Wrap in cling film and leave at room temperature until needed.
2. Fry the onions, garlic and lardons at a low to medium temperature in olive oil until the onions are soft but not brown.
3. Combine the eggs, soured cream and cheese and season with pepper and salt.
4. Grease a 26 cm quiche base with a little olive oil and press the pastry into it. Stab several times with a fork make. Cover with grease-proof paper and dried peas or similar and bake blind at gas mark 5, 200 °C for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the grease-proof paper and beans.
6. Fill with the onion mix and pour over the egg mix.
7. Place into a hot oven and bake at gas mark 5, 200 °C for 30-40 minutes.
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Variations:
1. Make this an onion pie by omitting the lardons and adding a red onion instead.
2. Sauté a mix of onions and mushrooms.
3. Sauté sweet red peppers.
4. Use tiny uncooked broccoli florets.
5. Use your imagination ;)