There is something very moreish about a well-made quiche. The creaminess from the savoury custard provides a textural contrast with the crisp pastry base. I made this with store bought shortcrust pastry and it worked perfectly, saving time. I used a loose bottom 24 centimetre flan tray
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PASTRY
400g block of frozen short crust pastry (store bought), thawed as per instructions on packet
Extra flour for dusting
Butter to grease the loose bottom flan tray
FOR THE CUSTARD
3 large eggs
50ml whole milk
150ml cream
Pinch of ground nutmeg
FOR THE FILLING
120g baby spinach
2tbsps caramelised onion (recipe follows)
Salt and pepper to taste
50g cheddar cheese, grated
50g blue cheese or blue brie, diced into small cubes
5 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
30g walnut pieces
METHOD
Grease the bottom and sides of a 24cm loose bottom fluted or plain flan tray.
Knead the dough to make an even ball (about a minute) on a lightly floured surface. Using a large rolling pin, roll out the dough to a fairly large round about 28cms (so you have a good overhang) in diameter and 4mm thick. Centre the rolled out round and line prepared flan tray, ensuring the pastry is pressed firmly against the sides. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
While pastry is resting, prepare filling and custard.
Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.
Place eggs, milk, cream into a bowl. Season with a good pinch of nutmeg. Whisk to combine all the ingredients. Do not over whisk as you don’t want it to be too fluffy.
In a medium sized frying pan on a medium heat, sauté all but one small handful of spinach. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
For the caramelised onion, use a medium sized frying pan. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and when the oil is hot, add 200g of finely sliced onions along with a tablespoon of brown sugar. Cook on low to medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until all nicely caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
Once the pastry has rested, remove from the refrigerator. Spoon the caramelized onion followed by the spinach over the base. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese and the reserved handful of spinach.
Pour savoury custard mixture evenly into the filled case, taking care not to spill any mixture over the side. Scatter blue cheese, cherry tomato halves and walnut pieces over the filling.
Cut the overhang neatly with kitchen scissors or knife. Place tart on the lowest shelf in the pre heated oven and bake for 20 -25 minutes or until the mixture is just set and firm to the touch. Do not over bake.
Remove tart from oven and allow to cool before removing from tin.
Serve with a crispy, leafy salad on the side. Serves 4.