Quiches
Back in the 80s quiches were quite popular. One could even find them on the menus of some of the best restaurants. ‘Quiche Lorraine’ or ‘Torta di Funghi’ were once considered world-renowned delicacies in their own right. Alas, the mighty quiche has since fallen from the menus of better restaurants onto the pages of ho-hum cookbooks, and today you will likely find them only as part of a buffet table at a lesser function.
Quiche has been around for almost a millennium. Like much of French cuisine, it was borrowed from someone else, repackaged and re-presented as original French cuisine. In this case, the quiche came from the German region of Lothringen, an ex-principality that the French picked up cheap in the Treaty of Versailles after the German defeat in World War I, becoming the northeastern French region of Alsace-Lorraine.
I like a good quiche: it’s a meal-in-one, a bit like a meat pie. They can be colourful and tasty and are very easy to prepare – great for any season and table.
The (once-mighty) Quiche
There are three parts to a quiche: the shell from short pastry, the flavour/filling (mushrooms, veg, cheese…) and the royal filling (cream, eggs, flour)
Ingredients:
- Quiche shell (amount for two smaller quiches)
- 250 grams flour
- 7 grams salt
- Pinch of pepper
- Pinch of dried oregano
- 125 grams butter
- 50 grams milk
- 25 grams water
Filling:
This depends on the desired flavour of your quiche.
I did multiple fillings for individual mini quiches for a stand-up breakfast (see the photos below). Mushroom, sweet potato, spinach and leek. Different vegetables are prepared differently: mushrooms in a pan, with a splash of olive oil, onion and rosemary; sweet potato, peeled, cubed and boiled or steamed; leek diced and tossed in a pan with a little olive oil, butter and thyme. Cook your choice of filling and set aside to cool.
Royal filling:
- A handful of grated parmesan or yellow cheese
- 500 ml cream
- 5 eggs
- 60 grams flour
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
Method:
For the shell, mix flour, salt, pepper and oregano for a minute, then add cubed butter and mix until it’s grainy. Add the milk and water and it will come together quite quickly. Wrap in cling wrap and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting, make the filling of your choice and set aside to cool.
Dust the bottom of the quiche pan with flour. Roll out the dough to approximately 3 mm thickness, then roll up using the rolling pin and unroll over the quiche pan. Use fingers to gently push the dough into place and use a small knife to cut off excess dough. (Roll out excess dough for a second quiche or wrap in cling wrap and put it in the freezer for another day.)
To make the royal filling, mix eggs and cream together in a bowl using a whisk. Slowly add the flour bit by bit while whisking. Add salt and pepper to taste along with a pinch of ground nutmeg. Set aside.
Fill the unbaked quiche shell with your chosen filling, sprinkle cheese over the filling and mix it together with a spoon or your fingers. Pour the royal filling in, making sure that you leave a centimetre of space at the top of the quiche shell, as the mixture will rise.
Preheat oven to 180°C (fan 170°C) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until ready. Remove to cool before removing from the quiche pan and cutting.
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