I find myself making this quiche repeatedly through the weeks of summer for lunches and picnics. Mixing a little finely grated Gruyère cheese into the pastry dough adds a lovely savouriness and intensifies the flavour of the dish as a whole.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 200 g / 7 oz (12⁄3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- pinch of salt
- 100 g / 31⁄2 oz (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, well chilled, cut into small cubes
- 60 g / 2 oz Gruyère cheese, finely grated
- 1 egg, separated
- a little iced water
For the filling
- 550 g / 1 lb 2 oz (11⁄2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon basil leaves, torn
- 2 eggs
- 150 ml / 5 fl oz (2⁄3 cup) single (light) cream
- 150 ml / 5 fl oz (2⁄3 cup) milk
- 90 g / 31⁄4 oz Gruyère cheese finely grated sea salt and black pepper
To serve
- salad leaves (greens)
Method
- To make the pastry dough, tip the flour and salt into a food processor and add the chilled butter. Pulse until the mixture has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Add the Gruyère cheese and egg yolk and process again, then, with the motor still running, trickle in just enough iced water (a teaspoon or two) to bring the dough together in lumps. Transfer the dough to a large bowl and gather it into a ball with your hands. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Unwrap the chilled pastry dough, knead it until it is pliable, then roll it out thinly on a lightly floured work counter into a large circle 26 cm (10 1⁄4 inches) in diameter. Carefully lift the pastry onto the rolling pin and drape it over a loose-bottomed 23 × 4-cm (9 × 1 1⁄2-inch) tart pan. Press into the sides of the pan and trim the top using a knife. Chill the pastry case in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5.
- Remove the pastry case (shell) from the refrigerator and prick the base with a fork. Line the pastry case with greaseproof (wax) paper, fill with baking beans (pie weights) and bake ‘blind’ on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, brush the inside of the case with the egg white, then bake in the oven for another 10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C / 275°F / Gas Mark 1. Lay the halved cherry tomatoes cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and scatter over the torn basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside. Increase the oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5
- To make the filling, gently whisk the eggs in a bowl, then whisk in the cream and milk. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the grated cheese. Pour the mixture into the cooled pastry case and arrange the roasted cherry tomatoes evenly over the top, cut side up. Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until set and golden.
- Remove from the oven and leave the tart to cool in the pan before serving with salad leaves (greens).
This recipe is extracted from 'Home Farm Cooking' by Catherine & John Pawson (Phaidon).
Feature Image: Gilbert McCarragher
This originally appeared on House & Garden UK
