Perfect quiche recipe

There are few things more delicious and satisfying to eat than a slice of warm homemade quiche with a crunchy side salad – and maybe a buttery new potato or two! I’ve chosen to use ham and mushrooms in the recipe below, but this could be replaced with whatever you fancy – red pepper and spinach, anyone?

While you can buy ready-made quiche from the supermarket, I’m definitely a fan of the homemade variety wherever possible. It does take a little while to do, so is a good one to do at the weekend when you have more time, or you could substitute the pastry for a roll-out variety or pre-baked case to speed things along when you’re busy.

So why homemade? Well I have two reasons.

Firstly, it’s delicious, the fillings can be completely personalised to your taste, and it feels even more satisfying to eat having made it yourself. Secondly, I had an encounter with a particularly sloppy supermarket quiche at a buffet, which has unfortunately left a strong and lasting impression on me. The ominous drip of runny, eggy … mix? … really should have warned me off, but no. a mouthful did though. (just the one was quite enough!)

So, homemade. Lots of lovely eggs. No slop. Perfect.

Ham & Mushroom Quiche

Serves 4, cooking time 1½ hours

Ingredients

For the pastry:
35g margarine, in 2cm cubes
35g solid vegetable fat, in 2cm cubes
140g plain flour
2 tbsp cold water

For the filling:
4 large free range eggs
100ml milk
50g cheese, grated
2 slices ham or bacon, cut into 1cm squares
1tbsp olive oil
100g mushrooms, sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C, 180C fan or gas 6.
Grease one 8 inch cake tin and set aside.
Put the flour into a large mixing bowl, then add the margarine and vegetable fat, and rub together between your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the water and mix. The pastry should start to stick together. Add a little more water a spoonful at a time, until it comes together in a ball.
Cover the pastry with cling film, and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
Flour your surface and rolling pin, and roll the pastry out into a circle, taking care to move it after each roll. If it starts to stick, add more flour.
When the pastry is 2-3cm larger than the tin all around the edge, carefully roll it onto the rolling pin, then unroll over the tin, laying it gently over the top.
Line the tin with the pastry by gently lifting the edges and lowering each side into the tin. Carefully press into the shape of the tin.
Trim any edges of pastry that are above the edges of the tin.
If there are any cracks in the pastry, use the pastry trimmings to cover them up. They will stick with the help of a little water.
To blind bake the pastry, carefully line it with a non-stick baking sheet or tin foil, and use baking beans to weigh it down, spreading them evenly across the bottom of your pastry case. TIP – if you don’t have baking beans, you can use dried rice or dried pasta shapes.
Bake the pastry for 10 minutes, then remove the baking beans and foil, and bake for a further 2 minutes to dry out the bottom. Allow to cool.
To make the filling, fry the ham and mushrooms in the olive oil over a medium heat, or until the mushrooms are browned, then set to one side.
Crack the eggs into a saucepan. Whisk, and add the milk.
Warm through over a low heat for 5 mins, or until just warm, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
Spread the ham and mushrooms evenly over the pastry case.
Carefully pour in the eggs, and sprinkle the cheese on top.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the egg is firm to touch, with no wobble.
Allow to cool, then remove from the tin and cut into 4 portions.
Serve with a side salad, and potatoes or wedges! – delicious.