A proper quiche, loaded with asparagus, peas and broad beans, in a cheddar shortcrust that’s worth the extra ten minutes. Good cold the next day, which makes it as useful for lunchboxes as it is for a long Sunday breakfast. Source your spring greens at Queen Victoria Market and have them delivered, or grab them via Click & Collect!
Serves 6. Cooking for 3? Halve the filling and use a 20cm tin.
Ingredients
Cheddar pastry
- 225g plain flour
- 140g cold butter, diced
- 115g mature cheddar, grated
- Chilled water, to bind
Filling
- 115g peas
- 115g baby broad beans, podded
- 115g asparagus, woody ends snapped off, chopped
- 115g green beans, chopped
- 4 free-range eggs
- 200ml thickened cream
- 100ml full-cream milk
- Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
To serve
- 1 bunch watercress, roughly chopped
- 5 baby plum tomatoes, chopped
Method
Pastry
- Sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Keep the butter cold, that’s what gives you a short, crumbly crust rather than a tough one.
- Mix in the cheddar, then add chilled water a tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Roll out and line a greased 25cm tart tin. Chill for another 30 minutes. Resting the pastry cold relaxes the gluten so it doesn’t shrink down the sides as it bakes.
Filling and baking
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Steam or boil the peas, broad beans, asparagus and green beans until just al dente, then drain and plunge into iced water. This stops the cooking dead and locks in the colour, so they don’t turn drab under the custard.
- Line the chilled pastry case with foil and baking beans and blind bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs, cream and milk together, stir through the parsley, and season well.
- Remove the foil and beans, and turn the oven down to 180°C.
- Drain the vegetables thoroughly and pat dry, then arrange them in the pastry case. Wet vegetables will loosen the custard, so this is worth doing properly.
- Pour over the egg mixture and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the centre is just set with the faintest wobble. It carries on cooking as it cools.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve topped with watercress and chopped tomatoes.
Adapted from BBC Food
