A change in the weather here in the middle of France has seen us cooking less wintry food; barbecues, quiche and salads. It makes a welcome change from soups and stews. We had a whole week of nice warm days and well appreciated it was.
This is a version of a recipe that popped up in my news feed, an extract from a recent Hairy Bikers cookbook. We don't buy the white asparagus that is piled high in supermarkets and on market stalls, preferring the green stuff which is sold in bundles and always a joy to cook. This recipe uses just a few stems, so about half a bundle.
I used a pack of pastry which had been brought to France from the UK at Christmas and then frozen. This might seem a bizarre thing to do, especially as there is no shortage of pastry in the shops here (and I could always make my own). In my defence, the oblong packs of pastry fit my large English oblong quiche tin, which feeds quite a crowd, perfectly, and shortcrust is only available in circles here, which means a lot of trimming and patching with a strong risk of leakage, unless I do have the time to make my own. Consequently I took the opportunity to stock up on oblong pastry when travelling to and from the UK by car, which is only at Christmas nowadays.
Mind you, I usually give the pastry an extra roll to increase the size a bit. This allows it to be draped over the edge of the tin and prevents it from shrinking back during the blind baking.
It was a very tasty quiche and we served it with small potatoes and a large salad, followed by a lemon pudding. Spring food at last.
Ingredients
A pack of ready made, ready rolled shortcrust pastry.
2 medium leeks, white part only
Half a bundle, about eight stalks, of asparagus
4 eggs
250 ml double cream
2 tblsp crème fraîche or milk
A large chunk of gruyère cheese (or cheddar)
A few halved cherry tomatoes for decoration (optional)
Method
Allow the pastry to reach room temperature before unrolling to avoid it developing small cracks.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan / gas mk 4. Grease a suitable tart/quiche/flan tin or dish.
Line the tin with the pastry, allowing a little excess to drape over the edges to avoid shrinkage. Prick the pastry, line with baking paper, fill with baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes. If using a loose based tin, standing it on a baking sheet makes it easier to lift in and out of the oven without the risk of accidentally pushing up the loose base and damaging the pastry case.
While the pastry is cooking, wipe, wash and trim the leeks and cut into slim rounds. Fry gently in a little butter until softened but not browned.
Trim and wash the asparagus stalks. Cut into short lengths, say 5cm, and cook in boiling water for a few minutes until just tender.
Remove the paper and beans from the tart and return to the oven for a couple of minutes to dry the pastry.
Arrange the leeks and asparagus over the pastry and cover with a good sprinkling of grated cheese.
Whisk the eggs and cream together in a measuring jug and make up to 450ml with extra cream, crème fraîche or milk. Pour this gently over the filling but don't overfill; stop just short of the top. Dot with cherry tomatoes if using.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160° C / 140° fan / gas mk3 and return the quiche to bake for around 30 minutes or until it is nicely browned with a slight wobble. Don’t leave it in there until it's solid. Leave to cool a bit to allow for setting before removing from a loose based tin. Trim off the overhanging pastry with a sharp knife.
Serve warm or cool with potatoes and salad.
Makes 6 generous portions.
That sounds like a delicious combination but I now only make crustless quiches. We decided that we prefer them and the same combination goes into them. I must look for some asparagus! Cheers Diane
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