So, today I made this quiche and some bread, but that is for another post.
This quiche was supposed to be your iconic, traditional 'Quiche Lorraine'. Had there been some bacon in the fridge, it would have been. But I didn't buy any bacon, so instead I made another version of the quiche Lorraine and used ham, which I dry fried until crispy and added some peas.
I really liked this combination as it was fresh, different and wholesome! I love quiche and I don't know why I haven't made it until now?
You want to grease a plain rimmed tin, I used my loose bottomed cake tin, as I don't have a proper 'quiche tin'. Is there a designated quiche tin? Does this even exist? If not it should! You know when you are watching the Bake Off and all the bakers come in with these weird and wonderful inventions that are really handy and amazing! Well, that is what this is to me!
The plain rim on the tin is so that it looks iconic, well at least I think that is why it is used always? I've never seen a quiche that is rimmed like a tart...
This is a James Martin recipe, but for Quiche Lorraine. This is my version and own inspiration for it. I call it, 'Whatever you have in the fridge quiche'.
The ingredients that you'll need are:
For the Pastry:
- 175g Plain Flour, plus some extra for dusting the tin you'll be baking in. This will ensure it doesn't stick to the tin. It is a full-proof way of non-stick proofing your bake!
- Salt- I used about 10g
- 75g Butter, cubed and cooled- and some more for greasing the tin you'll be baking in.
For the Filling:
- 250g Cheddar Cheese, grated. I used enough to cover the base of my tart. I baked mine in a 20cm cake tin. I found that the amount of pastry made from the ingredients above, makes just enough to make the quiche in a 20cm tin. Yay- I love it when things work out perfectly and you aren't just short of or have way too much pastry left over. Ideal is the word!
James said to add tomatoes, bacon and thyme, all of which I had none... so I added the following (another CVL Bakes variation)
- 200g or 1/2 pack of Ham, scrunched into little clumps and dry fried. When I say 'dry frying', I mean frying something without any oil, purely to enhance it's crispiness and intensify the natural flavours of the product.
Naturally, being me, I added garlic too- about 1 1/2 cloves of garlic, cooked enough until the harsh, raw garlic flavour has been cooked away, but not too much, causing the garlic to take on a new harsh, burnt and almost bitter flavour. It'll look golden and be soft to the touch when it is cooked.
- 50g Frozen Peas, I quickly cooked these in boiling water for 5 minutes, until they still had a bite and retained their vibrant colour, but weren't frozen obviously.
- 5 eggs, whisked in a large bowl, until the white and yolk are combined.
- 100ml Milk
- 200ml double cream- I had whipped and it tasted the same
- Pepper- 1 tsp
How to make this quiche:
Pre-heat the oven to 190 C and put a baking tray on the middle rack to heat up. Having a heated baking tray for the pastry to sit on when baking, will help ensure that it has a cooked and crispy bottom.
Grease and line a quiche tin, or loose bottom cake tin with butter and flour. Butter the tin all over and then, from a height, sprinkle the flour onto the base of the tin. Pat the tin from side to side to manipulate the flour around the tin. Set this aside.
Make the Pastry:
Throw the flour and salt into a food processor or bowl and mix. Then add chunks of butter into the bowl or processor. Blitz this together until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add enough cool water to make it all clump and come together into a ball. Tip this out onto a clean counter top and then knead briefly until it looks smooth and short. (This is when it is crumbly and not tough, from over-handling it). It should be light in colour and smooth looking.
Roll this out until the thickness of a £1 or thinner, depending on whether it is large enough for the tin.
Prick the bottom of the base with a fork and pop into the fridge to chill completely and allow the butter to set again. The butter would melt and shrink had you just put the pastry into the hot oven now.
Making the Egg Filling:
- Grate the cheese into a bowl.
- Crack the eggs and combine with the milk, pepper and cream. Whisk this together until they are all combined and one, pale, egg colour, with little flecks of pepper.
- Boil the peas in boiling water for 5 minutes until they are defrosted.
- Rip up the ham and pop it into a heated pan. Fry until crispy with a little garlic.
Baking the Pastry:
- Take the tart out of the fridge and line with baking paper. Put baking beans on top of this. This will ensure that as the pastry bakes, it stays flat and cooks evenly.
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| Rolling out the pastry |
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| Lining the tart tin |
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| Weighing down the pastry |
- Pop into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden up the edges of the tart. Take out of the oven and put the beans back into their container, or where you store them. Pop the tart back into the oven (minus the baking paper too) and bake until the base is cooked too.
You'll know it is cooked when it is dry to the touch. It should look lightly browned as well, but not too dark, or you'll risk it burning when it is baking for the second time with the egg.
The Second Bake:
- Once the tart shell is baked, you want to add flavour.
- Sprinkle an even layer of the grated cheese on top of the base of the tart. This will melt a little in the residual heat of the tart. Add the peas and ham on top of this and then place back onto the rack of the oven. Pour in the egg until it reaches the edge of the tart top.
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| Cheese in the base of the quiche |
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| Pea and Ham components in the base with cheese |
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| Egg mixture added to the base and into the oven |
- Bake for 40 minutes at 160 C. It is cooked when the egg has puffed up and browned on the top. It will also be set in the middle. An easy way of knowing it is cooked, is when you shake the quiche and if it doesn't wobble in the middle and is bouncy to the touch, it is cooked!
- Once cooked, take out of the oven and let it sit for 15 minutes as it will need to set a while after to allow the egg to stabilise and firm up even more.
Serve with a fresh, seasonal salad, making the best and most out of the veg that are in season. This quiche is light and fluffy and a joy to munch on. Even some sour cream dip with chive goes well with it as it compliments the creaminess of the egg.
That is another new recipe logged into the portfolio. Thanks and will be posting the bread soon!
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