There are a big variety of quiche out there, the original French one being the Quiche Lorraine of course. I like a very rich one, with a lot of savoury filling, and I like my quiche to rise nicely as it really looks quite good.
Omit the rashers, and it's a perfect vegetarian dish.
I'm using here the normal tart moulds as this time I'm bringing the quiche to a party so it's good to have individual portions, but of course a Quiche is usually made in a normal 24cm diameter baking tin.
I love making this, as it's so handy to prepare all the ingredients the day before, then assemble the Quiche and cook it just before serving it - although it's quite nice served at room temperature as well.
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
125gr salted butter
1 egg
250gr plain flour
1 pinch of fine ground salt
For the filling:
250gr cooking cream (I prefer soy cream as it's lighter)
150gr various grated cheese (personally I use 70gr red cheddar, 20gr smoked cheese, 20gr goat cheese, 20gr salted ricotta, 20gr parmesan)
200gr smoked streaky rashers (omit this if making the vegetarian version)
3 eggs
1 yolk
2 slugs of vegetable oil
2 medium onions
200gr frozen peas
1 pinch of fine ground salt (be very careful and do take into consideration how salty is the cheese you're using)
2 pinches of freshly ground black pepper
2 pinches of ground nutmeg
Method:
TIP: This is a type of shortcrust pastry, so it's all about the cold temperature. You need to handle it as little as possible, and you need to put it in the fridge througought the process often and in different stages.
Cut the butter in cubes
Pour the flour in the middle of your kitchen counter in the classic fountain shape, then make a hole in the middle to accomodate the other ingredients
Put the butter cubes, the egg and the salt in the middle
Work it all quickly with your hands (if they're very warm, cool them down before under cold water before starting): it would look like there's not enough liquid at the beginning, but you'll see that there's just enough
STOP working the pastry as soon as it forms a ball and all the flour is absorbed. This is key, you don't want to overwork this pastry at all
Wrap the pastry quite well in cling film and store it in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, better for 2 hours (or up to 24 hours, or freeze it)
Chop the onions and the rashers, then stir fry them until cooked and translucent in a non-stick pan with the oil - be careful not to let the rashers go crispy
Add the peas to the pan, stir it well and cook until tender
TIP: the above mixture can keep in the fridge for 1 day
Grate all the cheese - and again, you can then mix it and store it in an airtight cotainer for 1 day
On the day of serving: beat the eggs until frothy, add the little salt you're using, the black pepper and the nutmeg
Add the cream and the grated cheese to the egg mixture
Combine the peas, rashers etc with the eggs, cream and cheese and set aside
Butter the moulds or your baking tin, then dust them with flour and shake off the excess
Cut out 2 strips of baking paper per mould of roughly 3cm width each, with enough length to cover the bottom, come up the edges, and hang off by 2cm on each side
Place the 2 strips of baking paper forming a cross into each mould - if you do this, once the tarts are ready and cool, you'll only need to lift the tarts from the hanging baking paper and they'll come out of the moulds perfectly, without spoiling the edges - the same method should be used when making a single tart on a bigger mould
Take the pastry out of the fridge
Cover your kitchen counter with a sheet of baking paper, put the pastry on top and then cover it with another sheet of baking paper
Using the ball and palm of your hand start flattening it out, then roll it to a thickness of 0.5 cm using a rolling pin
Cut out the circle of your Quiche base: it will have to cover the bottom and the edges of the mould, so: if using the single 24cm diameter mould, cut out a circle of 26-27cm, or if using the smaller moulds of 10cm of diameter, cut out circles of 12-13 cm each
At this point, remove from the oven one of the shelves and the big tray that usually comes with the oven and fits into a shelf groove, then pre-heat your oven at 200 degrees C (fan)
Here having used the baking paper top and bottom while rolling it out will show all its benefit: you'll be able to transfer the circles into the moulds quite easily by lifting the bottom layer of the baking paper and top out the pastry circles into the moulds
Be careful when draping the pastry into the moulds, press slightly the bottom close to the circular edge, then the sides
Pour the filling mixture into each mould, leaving at least 0.5cm from the top
Place the moulds onto the middle shelf in the oven, and place the big shelf right above it
Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C (fan) and bake for 50-60 mins in total (keep an eye on it, it may burn too quickly)
Remove the big shelf from the oven for the last 15 mins of cooking time