Cheese and onion quiche
Using two cheeses (in this case Parmesan and cheddar or gruyère) and roasting the onions and garlic gives extra depth of flavour to this classic cheese and onion quiche.
For this recipe you will need a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed tart tin with a depth of 4cm/1½in.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 125g/4½oz unsalted butter, chilled and diced
- 25g/1oz Parmesan, grated (or similar vegetarian hard cheese)
- 4–5 tbsp iced water
- 1 tsp cider or white wine vinegar
For the filling
- 4 onions, each cut into 8 wedges through the root
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled and left whole
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 free-range eggs, plus 3 free-range egg yolks
- 300ml/10fl oz double cream
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú cheddar or gruyère, coarsely grated
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the pastry, tip the flour into a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a palette or butter knife, cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are half their original size. Use your fingertips to continue rubbing in until there are only small pieces of butter still visible. Add the Parmesan and season well with salt and pepper.
Make a well in the middle of the ingredients, add the iced water and vinegar and mix to combine using the palette knife. Then use your hands to bring the pastry together into a ball. Flatten into a disc, cover and chill for 2 hours until firm.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour, roll the pastry out into a disc that is 2–3mm thick and use to line a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed tart tin. Trim any excess pastry from the edges, prick the base with a fork and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Roughly line the pastry case with kitchen foil or baking paper, fill with baking beans or rice and bake on a baking tray for 15 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Remove the foil or paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes to dry out the base.
To make the filling, increase the oven temperature to 210C/190C Fan/Gas 6½. Tip the onions and garlic into a roasting tin, drizzle with the oil and roast for 20 minutes until starting to soften and brown at the edges. Remove the garlic and set aside. Turn the wedges over and cook for a further 10 minutes until soft and starting to turn golden. Leave to cool.
Whisk the eggs and yolks together in a bowl. Add the cream, mustard and herbs and season well with salt and pepper. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the skins into the mixture and whisk to combine.
Scatter the onions and all but 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese into the baked pastry shell. Pour over the egg mixture and top with the remaining cheese. Bake the quiche for 30 minutes or until the filling is golden brown and set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
