Quiche with fresh spring herbs
Makes 12 portions or six individual quiches
Ingredients
shortcrust pastry
400g plain flour
200g diced cold butter
2g salt
1 egg
Iced water
(baking beans)
Method
Place the flour in a bowl with the salt. Add the diced butter, put a mixing machine and mix on low for about a minute until like fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg and then a little water until the paste comes together it shouldn’t be too dry, or it’ll just crumble when you roll it out. If you don’t have a machine, make it by hand.
Place the dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 30 minutes. Roll the pastry out to 0.5cm thickness.
Grease and flour your quiche mould (12in ring, 3cm deep) and place onto a tray. Roll the pastry up on a rolling pin, then lay it over the mould and press it in, leaving a margin over for shrinkage.
Place a sheet of greaseproof paper onto the pastry and add the baking beans up to the level of the case. Place into the fridge for 20 minutes to rest, and then bake at 180×C for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the beans. Beat another egg and brush the inside of the case with it. Rebake for another 2 to 3 minutes. Leave to chill.
Ingredients
Filling
150g grated Gruyère cheese
2 eggs and 4 egg yolks
450g baby spinach, washed
400g chopped sorrel, picked and washed (you can make up the amount with spinach if you can’t get hold of sorrel)
400g chopped leeks, thinly sliced
200g onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 bunches spring onions
120g butter
2g chopped parsley
6g chopped chives
400ml Marscapone cream
4g salt
1g milled black pepper
Method
Heat a pan on medium. Add the butter, and when it’s melted, add the onions. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes with no colour, then add the leeks and half the salt and pepper. Cover with a lid, cook for a further 5 to 8 minutes until they’re just tender, then add the spring onions and cook for no more than 2 minutes. Add half the spinach.
Remove from the stove. Stir in 200g of the sorrel and then turn out onto a tray to cool in your fridge. Finely slice the remaining sorrel and spinach, then add this to the chilled mix along with all the fresh herbs. Mix the cream and eggs together in a bowl, add the remaining salt and then the chilled filling mix. Pour all into the baked pastry case and bake at 170×C for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and eat straight away or leave to chill.
