The weather has warmed up, the cherry blossom is on the trees and Spring is definitely here. With an abundance of bank holidays and a lift in restrictions to allow meeting loved ones outside, May lends itself to picnics in the gorgeous Dorset countryside.
I have put together this delicious quiche recipe that is simple to make and can be made ahead of time. My mum used to make this for me when I was growing up and it is equally as delicious warm straight from the oven as it is cold as part of a picnic.
If you want to add some local ingredients to your quiche, then I recommend getting hold of some Black Cow Cheddar. It will add some amazing depth to the flavour and is wonderfully creamy. You can also add any seasonal veg that you find in your local farm shop or you have grown in your garden!
I have also teamed up with fellow Blackmore Vale columnist Andrew Livingston to use his farm’s beautiful white chicken eggs in my recipe, from their Dekalb White chickens. You can find out more about these beautiful white eggs in his article on page…
Ingredients
1 pack ready rolled puff pastry* 125g strong cheddar
100ml double cream
handful of cherry tomatoes some asparagus spears
pinch of salt and black pepper.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 fan/gas 5.
Line an 8” square baking tin with baking paper.
Unroll the pastry and carefully place into the baking tin, allowing the extra to fold up the sides of the tin.
In a jug, mix together well the cream, eggs, salt and pepper. You can use garlic salt here if you wish and add more black pepper if you want to.
Grate the cheese onto the base of the pastry case. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the pastry, along with the asparagus spears.
Gently pour over the cream and egg mixture. You can egg wash the pastry if you want to but you don’t need to.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the top goes golden brown and middle jiggles when you shake the tin gently (the edges should be firm).
Eat straight from the oven with fresh green salad or leave to cool and then slice as you wish.
*You can make your own pastry here if you would like – I recommend using Delia Smith’s Flaky pastry recipe. Just roll out to about half a centimetre thick, before adding to the tin.
By: Heather Brown