Cheese & Pickle Quiche – profoodhomemade

Quiche: Cheese & Pickle

How to make a delicious Cheddar & Branston Pickle quiche: easy step by step instructions from start to finish.

Ingredients

Method

Pastry Ingredients:
200g / 7oz Plain or All-purpose flour
100g / 3½oz Butter (Unsalted If Possible)
60g / 60mls Ice cold water
4g / ½tsp Salt
Filling:
400g / 14oz Branston pickle
115g / 4oz Mature Cheddar cheese
6 Eggs (large)
1tbls Double/Heavy Cream
55g / 2oz Spring onions (finely sliced)
Salt n Pepper
1 Egg (small for egg-wash)

By far the best way to make shortcrust pastry is to use a food processor. It’s very quick and easy, but more importantly, it keeps all the ingredients cold, which is essential when making shortcrust pastry.
Add the flour, salt, and butter to the processor with the blade tool attached.
Pulse the machine until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency; this should only take 30 to 45 seconds.
Next step; set the machine running while slowly pouring in the ice-cold water.
Once the pastry comes together and starts rolling around the machine, it’s done (see the video), once again, this should only take 30 to 45 seconds to complete.

Once done, remove it from the machine.
You should now have around 350g / 12½oz of pastry.
Bring the pastry together and form it into a 3” round disc shape.
Wrap it in cling film, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using it.
Blind baking the pastry case:
Preheat your oven to 180°C / 355°F / Gas mark 4.
Grease a 23cm / 9in loose base flan or pie tin.
Roll out your pastry to a 3mm thick circle (see video for example)
Once rolled out, roll it onto you rolling pin.
Unroll the pastry onto the greased flan tin leaving plenty hanging over the edge of the tin.
Carefully tuck the pastry down into the corners of the tin with your fingers, then trim off the excess pastry, using a spare piece of pastry press it down into the corners of the tin where the side meets the base.
Using a fork, prick a few holes in the base of the pastry, this is called docking the pastry.
Scrunch up a circle of parchment paper that’s larger than the tin, place it on top of the pastry and gently press it down.
Fill the case with ceramic or dried beans and gently press it down, (I use raw uncooked rice in the video).
Place the tin in the preheated oven, and bake for 30 minutes.
Make up some egg-wash using a small egg.
Once baked remove the pastry case from the oven, leave the oven running, but reduce the temperature to 170°C / 340°F / Gas mark 3.
Carefully lift out the blind baking beads, and while it’s still hot, brush egg-wash all over the inside of the pastry case, sides and base, place the tin back in the oven and bake for 5 minutes to set the egg, this is what I call, waterproofing the case.
Preparing the filling:
Grate the cheese and finely slice the spring/green onions.
Whisk up the eggs, cream and salt in a large jug or bowl, until it’s loose and runny.
Building up the Quiche:
Spoon the Branston pickle on the base of the pastry case and spread it out.
Spread the cheese loosely over top of the pickle, save a little for the top of the quiche.
Add a few of the sliced green onions.
Pour in the egg mixture in the case up to just below the top of the case sides.
Add the remaining cheese and onions on the top.
Now very carefully without spilling any, get it into the oven, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Once cooked, get it out of the oven, allow it to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the tin.
The quiche will appear well risen at this point, but don’t be disappointed when it goes flatter again, this is normal for quiche.
Slice and serve hot or cold, it’s delicious either way.