Prawn and Potato Quiche

Ingredients:

Pastry:
Oven: 180 deg.C (fan)
6ozs. plain flour
2.75 ozs. butter (hard)
1 large egg,
salt, pepper.
1 egg for egg wash - you can then add the egg you haven't used to the Savoury Custard. 

1.Crumb the flour and butter, add the egg, seasoning -
bring ingredients togther to make pastry and chill - (the pastry that is :) ) - for about 30 mins.
2.Roll out fairly thinly, and line a greased flan tin/dish with your pastry* and prick all over with a fork.
3.Place greaseproof paper on top and pile in your baking beans, spreading them evenly.
4.Bake blind for about 20 mins.
5.Remove beans and paper, wash the pastry with beaten egg and place back in the oven for approx. 10 mins. (You may need a little longer).

Filling:
1 pack of large cooked prawns (roughly chopped)
1 large cooked potato (roughly chopped)
small amount of smoked salmon - optional

 Place into pre-baked pastry case.

Savoury custard:
5 eggs - beaten
3.5 fl.ozs. milk
7 fl.ozs. double cream
salt, black pepper
small amount of dried or fresh thyme/oregano
small amount of grated hard cheese, if wanted

Pour over the savoury custard, and bake until the custard is set and just beginning to golden.

I think this is nicest eaten cold with a good salad.

* some people dont trim the pastry until it is baked, but I find the edge is neater if trimmed when the pastry is raw.

Egg Flan Florentine - 1970s recipe - light lunch or teatime recipe

 This recipe is from 1970s Women's Weekly Magazine
(Popular Cook Book - 30p) !

Oven: 200 deg. C (400 F)

Ingredients: serves 4 - 6

Flancase:
6ozs. plain flour + pinch of salt - sifted together
(I like using self-raising flour, so the pastry case is softer)*
1.1/2 ozs. lard ...........  (use white vegetable fat such as Trex)
1.1/2 ozs. margarine .............  (butter)
Cold water
Filling:
8ozs. frozen spinach (or fresh spinach of course)
2 ozs. butter
4 hard boiled eggs
1 oz. plain flour
1/2pt. milk
2 ozs. grated cheese

1. Rub the fats into the flour to make breadcrumbs - stir in enough cold water to make a soft dough.
2. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to fit a flan tin.
3. Place dough in your greased flan tin. Prick the base, cover the base with scrunched up foil and bake for approx. 25 mins until pastry is cooked.  (You can remove the foil for a few minutes, just to 'golden' it up.)

3. Cook the spinach (squeeze out excess water) and stir in 1 oz. of butter and spread on the base of the flan case. (I would sprinkle a little cornmeal or semolina on the pastry base before putting in the spinach).
4. Cut the shelled hard boiled eggs in half and lay cut side down on the spinach.

5. Melt the remaining butter, add the flour and slowly adding the milk - making your smooth sauce.
Pour over the eggs so they are covered.
6. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and chill until required.

You can chill this and/or reheat under the grill - - or in the oven, (190 deg.C / 375 F for 20 mins)

* updated tips

Leek, Cauliflower/Broccoli Flan (or Quiche)

Oven 190 deg. C
Pastry Case: (if making yourself)
4oz. plain or self-raising flour
large pinch of salt & pepper
2ozs. white vegetable fat or 1/2 butter and 1/2 fat
1 tsp. brown sugar dissolved with 3-4 tbls. cold water and 1 tbl. sunflower oil.

Crumble the fat into the flour and add the liquids. Gather together and
Gently roll it out on a floured surface, place in your greased ovenproof flan dish (9"or 10" dia.) and let it rest in the fridge for about 15-20 mins.
Prick pastry in several places with a fork, then pre-bake in a hot oven for approx 10 mins - till just underdone.  

(You can also use some crushed foil on top, to stop it rising too much if you've used SR flour).

Filling:
1 leek - white part (or large spring onion, or white onion) - sliced thinly
Olive oil and knob of butter
Salt and Pepper
Few small garlic cloves - peeled and crushed

Cauliflower or Broccoli - broken into even sized chunks

Saute leeks (or onion) and garlic in olive oil and butter, until just becoming transparent,
add cauliflower or broccoli or mixture of both - saute until just softening.
Dont let the leeks brown - if you can help it (!)  Set aside.

This can all be done in the micro, in a large bowl.

When the veg is 'just' cooked, if you have any larger pieces just break them up into small ones.
 

Sauce:
Mix together:
1/4pt milk
2-3 tbls. creme fraiche, cream or yogurt (or mixture of both)
2 beaten eggs

Mix these together in large jug with hand blender.

Add: your fave hard cheese (grated) - to taste.

I have tried Doux de Montagne, which is a soft and creamy flavoured cheese,  added to the eggs and milk. Using the hand blender this becomes a lovely and smooth sauce.

Season well, to your own taste.

Put veggies  into flancase, pour sauce over carefully. Make sure the vegetables are covered, with the sauce, and bake till the custard has set and the tart is beginning to brown.

 
TIP: Place your flan tin on a preheated oven tray - this helps cook the base of the quiche.

*You can make this without the pastry, as a sort of baked cauliflower-cheese dish.
Very tasty either way.

Quiche - Cheese, Potato and Onion flan

Oven: 180/90 deg.C
Ingredients:
Filling:
3ozs. Gruyere Cheese - grated
3ozs. Low Fat Cheddar (any Cheddar would do)
1 (peeled) boiled potato - sliced
1 clove of garlic - chopped or crushed
1 small onion - sliced and sauteed with the garlic, till just softened.
Savoury  Custard:
1/4pt. double cream + few tablespoons of milk
2 eggs
 salt and pepper

Pastry:
place ingredients (given below) in food processor and whizz until ball of dough is formed. (Or make by hand of course). Cover with Klingfilm and chill for about 1/2 hr.

4 ozs. cold butter
3 ozs. self-raising flour
3 ozs. plain flour (using the SR flour - gives a softer pastry)
2-3 tablespoons of water
shake of salt and pepper

1. Roll out the pastry between sheets of Klingfilm - no need to flour surface.
Remove top sheet of Klingfilm and 'splat'* the pastry (carefully!) into the flan tin.  Press the sides carefully into shape and trip off the excess.
2. Prick the base with a fork, put some scrunched up foil into the base (to weigh it down a little) and cook for about 5/10 mins. Remove from the oven and remove the foil.
3. Put the potatoes and onion into the flan, add the grated cheeses, then pour the savoury custard over.
4. Tap the flan down on your surface, to ensure the custard has evenly covered.
5. Bake until golden and risen - fairly evenly.  This will drop when it has cooled.

I find this is lovely served warm, but is also very good cold.
It has a nice creamy taste and isn't too cheesy!

PS: Apologies - I had to 'Photoshop' the base of my pastry (pic.) - as I was in a hurry -  I didn't pre-bake it (for the 10 mins or so) -  However, it still tasted really good :)

*technical term for putting the pastry into the tin :)

Goats Cheese, Ham & Red Onion Quiche

Ingredients:

Pastry: 

180g plain flour (6 ozs.approx.)

100g (3.1/2 ozs) cold unsalted butter - cubed

1-2 tsps. dried thyme

1 egg yolk

chilled water - approx. 1 tbl.

Filling:

1 large red onion - peeled, halved and sliced 

olive oil and knob of butter

thin slices of cooked ham (or bought pre-packed)

block of goats cheese - sliced fairly thinly .... (I used St. Helen's Farm Goats Cheese)

3 eggs

9fl.ozs (approx.) Sour Cream

approx. 1 tbl.or 2 of  grated parmesan (optional)

salt and pepper

Preheat Oven: 180 deg. C - 350 deg.F - Gas 4
Make up your pastry and leave to chill, covered with klingfilm,  for 20 mins to 1/2 hr. 
Then roll out thinly on a floured surface, and line one large or a couple of small buttered tins/dishes.  Trim*
Bake blind for at least 15 mins. using scrunched up foil and baking beans or any hard pulses on top of foil.
This stops the pastry rising.
Remove the foil and pulses and bake for another 5 mins, until the base looks 'dry' and not uncooked.

for the filling
1. Saute the sliced onion in hot oil and butter, until softened.  Remove from heat.
2. Mix the sour cream, parmesan and eggs together, season lightly. 
3. Layer the onions, sliced ham, and slices of goats cheese inside the pastry case
4. Pour over the sour cream and eggs. Tap the tin lightly down to make sure the 'custard' has settled into all the nooks and crannies :)

Bake until the top is becoming golden and the savoury custard is set.
This is lovely served warm, but can also be eaten cold.

forgot to take a photo before we tucked in!

Luckily I managed to have a spare!

* you can either trim before or after baking.
If you trim the pastry before it's baked, it does tend to shrink a little.

Creamed Sweetcorn Tart with No-Roll-Out Pastry

Ingredients & Method:

Filling:
1 small white onion - peeled
2 celery stalks - peeled
2 medium waxy potatoes (ordinary white potatoes are also fine) - peeled

1 can of creamed sweetcorn
S&P - to taste
Place 1st three  ingredients in your food processor and whizz until small but not mushy.
Saute in a little olive oil/sunflower oil and a knob of butter until softened (you can do this in your Micro) -  Add the can of Creamed Sweetcorn - stir together.
Season and taste.  Set aside.

Savoury Custard:
2 large eggs - beaten
1 tbls. flour
1/2 cup of double cream
little grated hard cheese - if you fancy
Mix all ingredients for custard together.  Set aside.


No-roll-out pastry:
2 cups of sifted plain or SR flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup of vegetable/sunflower oil
9 tsps. cold milk
Little cornmeal or semolina to sprinkle over pastry base to stop soggy pastry.


Put all ingredients for the pastry into your food processor and whizz until dough is done.
Gather the dough ball together and press out into a buttered oven-proof flan dish.
You dont need to be too delicate with this at all, and can use your knuckles to press it into shape, coming up the sides of the dish.  Make it fairly thin if you can. Prick with a fork, and sprinkle a little cornmeal or semolina over the pastry base.

Place your filling into the pastry case and pour over the savoury custard - adding a little grated cheese if you want.

Bake at about 190 deg.C (approx) until the custard is set and beginning to go golden.
Approx. 1/2 - 3/4 hr.
....... This is delicious chilled.

If you have any filling leftover - you can bake it in a separate dish without the pastry.
See also Sweetcorn Tart (shortcrust pastry)

Spinach & Mozzarella Pie

Oven 200 – 220 deg.C

Pastry: - just press the pastry gently into your dish - no need to roll out.

1 cup of Self-Raising Flour

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup of vegetable/sunflower oil

4.1/2 tsps. of milk

Blend all the pastry ingredients together until it forms a nice pastry ball.

Gently press it into your greased, shallow, oven-proof dish, prick the base.

Sprinkle a little cornmeal or polenta over the base so that the pastry doesn’t go soggy and chill it for about ½ hr.

Filling:

500g fresh spinach -

1 ball of buffalo mozzarella

Spinach – washed and cooked in the micro (no extra water need be added) - until just cooked.

Put into a sieve and press down using a small dish to squeeze out as much of the water as poss. Put aside.

Savoury Custard:

1 med. egg

A good glug of single cream

Some milk – making up enough liquid to just fill the case. (can also add some yogurt)

A goodly tablespoon of grated cheddar

Seasoning - mix all ingredients well together in a jug and set aside for a mo.

Putting it together:

Place cooled spinach in the base of your pastry case.

Add the mozarella – in slices or pieces.

Season.

Pour the savoury custard over, adding a little more grated cheese on top.

Bake until the custard is going golden and is set.

Cool
Eat cold with a lovely mixed salad - also reheats well in the micro.

Watercress Tart

23cm loose-bottom tart tin 5-6cm deep

Oven: 200C(180C Fan oven) /400F/Gas 6

Ingredients:
Pastry:
225g plain flour + pinch of salt
150g unsalted butter - chilled and diced
1 med egg - separated
- or use bought ready-rolled shortcrust pastry

Place the flour & salt in a bowl (food processor)
Add butter and reduce to fine crumbs
Add egg yolk and just enough cold water to bind together
Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and chill for about an hour.

When ready to use: roll out thinly on a floured surface and carefully lift into the (greased) tart tin, pressing into the corners. Trim the top, reserving the trimmings. Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, tucking it over the top and weight it with baking beans. Bake for about 15 mins.

Remove the foil and beans and patch up if necessary with the spare bits. Brush the inside of the pastycase with the egg white and return to the oven for another 10 mins till lightly coloured.

Filling:
3 medium eggs
200-250g fresh watercress
300ml whipping cream
175g gruyere cheese
Salt & Black Pepper
4 spring onions (scallions) - trimmed and sliced
1 tbl veg. oil

Place the eggs and watercress in your processor and whiz to a puree.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cream, half the cheese and seasoning.
Tip this mix into the pastrycase and smooth the surface.
Scatter over the remaining cheese.
Toss the spring onions in the oil and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for approx. 40 mins until golden and set. (Check with a skewer that it isn't still runny.)
Leave to stand for about 15-20mins.
It's good at room temp. and also reheated.

This recipe comes from the Mail on Sunday YOU Mag.