A buttery pastry base, silky egg custard and sharp seasoning will take your quiche from amateur to high-tea status.

Getting a high-tea quiche right comes down to three things: a buttery pastry base, a silky egg custard and sharp seasoning. We build it from the base up and finish it off with three fabulous flavour combos.  

All about the base 

You have a choice: go for a Cheddar pastry if you’re big on flavour, or the rough puff pastry if you’re after supreme texture. Pick one and follow the recipe to make the perfect quiche base.  

Ingredients 

For the cheddar pastry

200g flour 
200g cold butter, grated 
100g Cheddar, grated
Salt 

For the rough puff pastry

250g flour 
½ tsp salt 
250g cold butter, cubed 
1 cup ice water 

Method

1. If you’re making the Cheddar pastry, place ingredients into a bowl and work together using your fingertips until a dough forms, about 5 minutes. 
2. If you’re making the rough puff pastry, add ingredients to a bowl and work together with your fingertips. Add a little water at a time until it comes together. (Don’t work the dough too much, though: you still want there to be small pieces of butter throughout).
3. Roll pastry out into a disc, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease your tart tin. 
5. Roll out chilled pastry to a disc that’s a few centimetres larger than your tin. 
6. Gently place over tin and work into the base and sides, allowing the excess dough to hang over edges. Refrigerate for another 15 minutes. 
7. Prick base with a fork and use a serrated knife to remove excess dough. 
8. Cover base with a piece of baking paper and weigh down with dried beans or rice. This is called ‘blind baking’.
9. Blind bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden and cooked. Remove paper and beans.

 Also read: Chicken, corn and chive mini quiches

Quiche combos 

Now that you’ve se led on the best base (tough choice, we know!), it’s time to fill it with some fresh ingredients wrapped in a silky, eggy custard. If you went with the Cheddar pastry, try the quiche Lorraine. For the rough puff, go to the mushroom, spinach and feta quiche. If store-bought was the best choice for you, then you’ll really be smiling: you get to make fig and Brie tartlets. 

For the quiche lorraine

1. Bake a portion of Cheddar pastry in a 25cm round fluted tart tin. 
2. Toss together ½ packet (100g) cooked and chopped streaky bacon with ½ thinly sliced onion, 100g grated Gruyère or Cheddar and a pinch of ground nutmeg. 
3. Add ingredients to your cooled pastry case. 
4. For the egg custard, combine 1 ½ cups cream, 3 well-beaten eggs, salt and milled black pepper. Pour into pastry base until just touching the rim. 
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180°C until the middle of the quiche wobbles slightly. 
6. Cool for 15 minutes then slice and serve scattered with sliced spring onion and fresh rocket.

For the mushroom, spinach and feta quiche

1. Bake one portion of rough puff pastry in a 21x21cm square fluted tart tin.
2. Toss together ½ punnet (125g) sliced white mushrooms, 1 cup trimmed and chopped Swiss chard, 3 sliced spring onions and 2 discs crumbled feta.
3. Add to your cooled pasty case. 
4. For the egg custard, combine 1 ½ cups cream, 3 well-beaten eggs, salt and milled black pepper. Pour into pastry base until rim. 
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180°C until the middle of the quiche wobbles slightly. 
6. Cool for 15 minutes, slice into squares and serve.

For the sweet & salty fig and brie tartlets

1. Unfold 1 roll (500g) store-bought phyllo pastry and cut into quarters to form squares. 
2. Brush four squares of pastry with melted butter, place on top of one another and fi t into an 8cm round tartlet tin. Repeat with 7 more tins to make 8 tartlets in total. You can also use a muffin tin. 
3. Blind bake pastry for 10 minutes and then allow to cool. 
4. For the egg custard, combine 1 ½ cups cream, 3 well-beaten eggs, salt and milled black pepper. Fill each tart ¾ to the top.
5. Slice 6 preserved figs and 125g Brie. Divide between tartlets. 
6. Season and bake for 15-20 minutes at 180°C until set. 
7. Serve drizzled with honey and scattered with fresh rocket. 

Words: Sjaan van der Ploeg

Photography: Zhann Solomons

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