Traditionally in the UK, we have roast lamb and all the trimmings on Easter Sunday. Sometimes, if Easter falls earlier in the year, we can have snow on Easter weekend, and a roast dinner is the perfect thing to have on a cold wet day. But it’s later this year and if the weather is warm and sunny, we’ll opt for a buffet or BBQ outside instead, and this Cheese and Leek Quiche will make for the perfect veggie option.
I think quiches are massively underrated. I love them, and this one is particularly yummy. It’s really easy to make, you can even use ready made pastry if you like, though my shortcrust pastry recipe literally takes 5mins to make. The quiche freezes well too. I cut it into portions first, then I can just get out what I need, defrost it and reheat it in the oven or microwave.
Ready in 65-85 mins (5 mins making the pastry, 20 mins chill and prep, 40-60 mins bake) – serves 4-6.
Ingredients
- 200g of plain or wholemeal flour, or a mixture of the two (my preference)
- 100g of salted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 flat teaspoon of mustard powder
- About 100mls of cold water
- A knob of salted butter
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 leek, washed and thinly sliced (see my tips on leek prep here)
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of mustard (I’ve used Dijon)
- A good pinch of black pepper
- A good pinch of thyme
- 150g of strong cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 free range eggs
- 200mls of milk
Method:
- Put the flour, 100g of butter and the mustard powder into a bowl and rub in with your fingers or pulse in a food processor until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
- Adding a small amount of water at a time, mix to a crumbly paste using a blunt knife.
- Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a ball of dough. If you feel you need more water at this stage, simply dunk your hands into cold water and continue mixing with them, rather than pouring more into your bowl and risk making it too wet. If the mixture is too wet though, sprinkle a bit of flour on top and mix in with your hands.
- Put the dough into a buttered pie/flan dish and spread out evenly with your hands, across the base and up the sides of the tin. Trim off any excess around the sides with the back of a knife and use these scraps to patch up any holes or thinner parts in the pastry.
- Prick the base with a fork and chill for about 20 mins in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200c / 180c fan / gas mark 6.
- Put the knob of butter, the oil, leek and garlic in a pan and fry over a medium heat for 5mins.
- Add the mustard, black pepper, thyme and cheese. Mix well and take off the heat.
- Blind bake your pastry – Sit a sheet of baking paper inside the chilled pastry case and fill it with baking beans or uncooked rice and bake for 15 mins in the oven.
- Remove the beans/rice and baking paper and bake for another 5 mins to crisp up the pastry case.
- Turn the oven down to 180c / 160c fan / gas mark 4.
- Pour the cheese and leek mixture into the pastry case and spread out evenly.
- Beat the eggs and milk together in a jug until well mixed.
- Place your tin onto a sheet of kitchen foil to catch any leaks and pop it on the oven shelf.
- Then carefully pour the egg and milk mixture into the case.
- Bake for 40-60 mins, or until the middle is firm to touch and lightly brown.
- Serve hot or cold.
If you liked this recipe, you may also like:
Feta, Courgette and Red Pepper Quiche
Pesky Recipes 