Spring greens quiche

Fresh, light and full of seasonal flavour. Packed with tender greens in a smooth and creamy quiche filling made from eggs, cream and milk encased in a golden, flakey pastry crust. Perfect for brunch, a light lunch or dinner with a dressed side salad. This is great to meal prep. to enjoy throughout the week and can be eaten warm or cold.

Time to make : 20 minutes (not including pastry case)

Serves : 6

Ingredients

Pastry

I love and use my shortcrust pastry case recipe.

You could also use a shop bought savoury pastry case (20-25cm).

Or buy a ready to roll shortcrust pastry block from supermarkets and follow step 7 onwards from the pastry case recipe.

Filling

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, finely diced

220g asparagus spears

90g frozen peas

4 eggs

120ml double cream*

120ml milk*

90g Gruyère cheese, grated*

50g feta or goats cheese

Salt and pepper, to season

To garnish: fresh herbs such as dill or parsley

Method

1. Once you've made and blind baked your pastry case, you can leave it to cool slightly whilst you make the filling (you can fill the pastry case whilst it's still warm).

2. Pre-heat a fan oven to 160ºC.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add in the diced shallot and sauté for a 2 minutes until soft and translucent.

4. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus and then slice the spears into inch-long chunks. Add these to the frying pan with the shallots and a good pinch of salt, sauté for 2 minutes until the asparagus is still firm but just starting to char on the outside. Add the frozen peas and stir for 1 more minute, then remove the pan from the heat and set to one side.

5. In a large measuring jug, add the eggs, double cream and milk. Use a hand-held stick blender or electric mixer to whisk everything together really well. You can also do this by hand with a balloon whisk, whisking for at least 1 minute until everything is an even pale yellow and slightly frothy mix. Add in the grated Gruyère cheese and stir through.

6. Tip the cooked greens and shallots into the base of the pastry case, use a spoon to spread them out evenly. Pour over the whisked mixture to fill the pastry case about 1/2cm below the rim (see notes below* on how to use up any extra filling mixture).

7. Crumble over the feta or goats cheese and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until 'set' in the middle with no wobble.

8. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Nutritional Information

(per slice)

450 cals

32g fat, 22g carbs, 16g protein

Good to know:

• The fat content from the cream and milk help to 'set' the quiche filling. I use whole milk and double cream, but you can use semi or skimmed milk.

• I love using Gruyère cheese in the filling because it has a slightly salty, nutty flavour but you can use any grated hard cheese.

• The most important part in creating the filling is to make sure it's a really smooth, even mixture which is why I prefer to use a hand held blender, otherwise it can be lumpy, uneven and not 'set' well.

• If you have any leftover quiche filling, you can pour these into lightly greased muffin tins and create mini crustless quiches. They're delicious! Bake at the same temperature for 15 - 20 minutes until risen and golden in colour.

• I use a 22cm size pastry case, different sizes may need slightly different times in the oven.

• Store leftover quiche in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I store slices on a folded sheet of kitchen paper towel to keep the pastry base crisp and absorb any moisture.

• Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Wrap slices tightly in cling film and store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight.

• This quiche can be eaten warm or cold. Reheat slices in a pre-heated oven at 180ºC for 10 - 12 minutes or air fryer for 6 - 8 minutes.