Cheese n Onion Quiche
How to make an outstanding, Plain but delicious Cheese n Onion Quiche, as always, easy step by step instructions, from start to finish.
Ingredients
Method
- Pastry Ingredients:
- 200g / 7oz Plain or All-purpose flour
- 55g / 2oz Butter
- 45g / 1½oz Lard or solid vegetable fat
- 40g / 40mls Ice cold water
- 4g / ½tsp Salt
- Filling ingredients:
- 45g / 1½oz Spring/Green onions
- 45g / 1½oz Banana Shallots
- 80g / 3oz Mature/strong Cheddar cheese
- 8 Large Eggs
- 50mls / 50g Double / Heavy Cream
- 1 Small egg (beaten for egg wash)
- 4g / ½tsp Salt
- Making the Pastry:
- 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, butter and lard 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.
- 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, the residual heat will set the egg, this is what I call, waterproofing the case.
- Preparing the filling:
- Grate the cheese and finely chop the onions.
- Whisk up the eggs, cream and salt in a large jug or bowl, until it’s very runny.
- Building up the Quiche:
- Place the flan tin on a baking tray, (this will make it easier to transfer the quiche into the oven).
- Place a few of the onions, on the bottom of the pastry case, then add a little cheese.
- Pour a little of the egg mixture over the onions and cheese.
- Build up the layers like that, onion, cheese, egg mixture, keep going until you use all of the ingredients up.
- Now very carefully without spilling any, get it into the oven, and bake for 45 to 50 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.
- Enjoy.
Equipment & products used in my kitchen and videos
