The Perfect Bank Holiday Quiche

A Perfect VE Day Picnic

The weather for this Bank Holiday weekend is looking good and even some sunshine too, and as we are still generally confined to our homes and spending this long weekend with our household members it may be fun to have a picnic or afternoon tea in your garden to celebrate this VE Day, so i thought i’d try to help out a little and share a yummy quiche recipe.

In this recipe i have used broccoli, onion and cheese but for a truly luxurious quiche you could blanch asparagus and combine it with smoked fish. British asparagus is in season now, it only has a short season so make the most of it.

AT A GLANCE:

• Perfect for beginners as the filling is easy and if you don’t feel confident to make pastry then you can buy this pre-rolled from the supermarket.
• Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus resting of pastry)
• Baking time: 25 minutes at 210 degrees C, Gas Mark 6.
• Suitable for: Vegetarians as you can vary the filling to suit your taste
• Serves: 8 for picnic size portions, 6 for lunch or supper dish

YOU’LL NEED:

• 24cm Flan dish
• Baking tray
• Rolling Pin
• Sieve

INGREDIENTS:

(tsp = teaspoon)

Pastry (if you are short of time this can be bought ready made)

• 300g Plain Flour
• 110g Butter
• 110g Margarine
• Pinch Salt
• Cold water to bind

Quiche Filling

• 90g Evaporated milk
• 260g Milk
• 80g Cream
• 4 Eggs
• 20g Plain Flour
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Medium Onion Diced
• 1 tsp Dried Mixed Herbs
• 90g Grated Cheese
• Sliced tomato (optional)

Then choose the 1 or 2 flavours you want to add to the above:

• Broccoli OR Asparagus

Both choices will need blanching for a few minutes so it is only just cooked, don’t over cook it or it will loose its vibrant colour, then submerge in cold water to stop it cooking (this is called the ‘blanching & refreshing’ technique) drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.

FOR A TOUCH OF MEAT:

You could dice and fry Bacon

Raw smoked fish which will cook perfectly within the baking time of the quiche.

Tip: Don’t add too many flavours or over fill the dish!

METHOD:

Pastry:

1. To make the pastry rub together the flour, butter, margarine and salt with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
2. Bring together with cold water to form a ball, don’t overwork the pastry!
3. Cover and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes
4. Grease the flan dish and line with the pastry, allow to rest in the fridge again while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

1. Whisk together the Evaporated milk, Milk, Cream, Eggs, flour salt and pepper, pour through a sieve and put to one side.
2. Fry off the diced onion and mixed herbs (if you are adding bacon then this can be fried here too)
3. Prepare your chosen filling ingredients e.g blanched vegetables, smoked fish.

Assembly:

1. Evenly distribute the  fried onion mixture into the pastry lined flan dish
2. Add your chosen fillings
3. Carefully pour over the Quiche liquid and sprinkle with grated cheese. Place on a baking tray and bake until set for 25 minutes.

This bank holiday quiche would look beautiful cut into slices and served in one of our very own serving dishes, for such occasion, in the sun, we recommend using a dolina dish for a summer serving look.

Auds tip: This Quiche recipe is great as it won’t split or curdle, so towards the end of baking you can put in on the base of your oven just to make sure the pastry is cooked through. If you have a Rayburn, Aga or solid top stove just stand it on the cooler end to brown its bottom.

By following this recipe, you could have a perfect quiche addition to your VE Day bank holiday weekend. With good weather predicted for the whole weekend, you can enjoy your quiche in the garden with your family. Many neighbours around the country are coming together for the weekend with social distancing ideas for ways to celebrate. If you decide to make this quiche and enjoy it with family, with your neighbours (safely from a distance), send us a quick snap on Instagram or Facebook, we’d love to see, and you may even get featured on our instagram📸