From school I know that pastry is made "half fat to flour". Amazing how mnemonics stick! So thanks to Jenny B-R for the idea of adding fresh thyme (had we, but world enough and thyme*) and strongly flavoured Gruyère cheese to the basic pastry, adding interest and giving it a kick! I also used rye flour in this pastry for flavour and interest.
Ingredients
for the pastry
150g flour (50:50 rye:plain)
75g unsalted butter
1 tbsp water (there or thereabouts)
6-7 spring thyme
50g Gruyère
for the quiche
5 eggs
200ml goats milk (why not!)
150g good smoked ham from butcher
100g Gruyère
3 sprigs thyme
Method
Mix the flours and rub in the butter till it resembles fine breadcrumbs (they always say that bit in recipes!) add the finely grated cheese and the leaves only from the thyme. Now add about two teaspoons of water and mix with your hand to form a dough, adding a little more water if necessary. When it feels like pastry and not too wet work it into a ball, dust it with flour and put it in the fridge for later.
Meanwhile, back on the ranch, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the milk, a couple of sprigs of thyme and the cheese. Allow this to stand so the flavours infuse.
Go away for 20 minutes or so...
Return and put the oven on around 180 degrees. Take the pastry out of the fridge. Roll it out as thin as you dare without it cracking or splitting. It's important to roll it and not stretch it as if it's stretched it will shrink when you bake it. Line a quiche tin with it and cut off any excess around the edges. Pop it into the oven for around 20 minutes.
Go away for 20 minutes or so...
Return and take the pastry out of the oven. Reduce the temperature of the oven to around 150 degrees. Cut up the ham. I had thickly sliced ham from the butcher and cut it into strips with my kitchen scissors (the most under-used tool in the kitchen). Add this to the egg mixture and remove the thyme which was there for flavouring only. Now pour the egg mixture into the pastry case and bake for around 20-30 minutes until the filling has set and is slightly springy to the touch in the centre, but not dry.
* from To his coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell
Ingredients
for the pastry
150g flour (50:50 rye:plain)
75g unsalted butter
1 tbsp water (there or thereabouts)
6-7 spring thyme
50g Gruyère
for the quiche
5 eggs
200ml goats milk (why not!)
150g good smoked ham from butcher
100g Gruyère
3 sprigs thyme
Method
Mix the flours and rub in the butter till it resembles fine breadcrumbs (they always say that bit in recipes!) add the finely grated cheese and the leaves only from the thyme. Now add about two teaspoons of water and mix with your hand to form a dough, adding a little more water if necessary. When it feels like pastry and not too wet work it into a ball, dust it with flour and put it in the fridge for later.
Meanwhile, back on the ranch, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and mix well. Add the milk, a couple of sprigs of thyme and the cheese. Allow this to stand so the flavours infuse.
Go away for 20 minutes or so...
Return and put the oven on around 180 degrees. Take the pastry out of the fridge. Roll it out as thin as you dare without it cracking or splitting. It's important to roll it and not stretch it as if it's stretched it will shrink when you bake it. Line a quiche tin with it and cut off any excess around the edges. Pop it into the oven for around 20 minutes.
Go away for 20 minutes or so...
Return and take the pastry out of the oven. Reduce the temperature of the oven to around 150 degrees. Cut up the ham. I had thickly sliced ham from the butcher and cut it into strips with my kitchen scissors (the most under-used tool in the kitchen). Add this to the egg mixture and remove the thyme which was there for flavouring only. Now pour the egg mixture into the pastry case and bake for around 20-30 minutes until the filling has set and is slightly springy to the touch in the centre, but not dry.
* from To his coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell
An interesting take on an old favourite that will never go out of fashion! And was the gruyère cheese brought you direct from Gruyère, by any chance?? :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous!
ReplyDeleteWell it's funny you should ask, because yes, actually it was bought in Gruyere by Anonymous and brought back to London and given to me ;)
Miss Millie