Picnic Quiches Food

QUICHE

Steps:

• This recipe works great as a stand-alone dish, but also as a component in Jamie's Picnic Love from Together - see the full collection of menus here.
• GET AHEAD You can make this all on the day, if you prefer. Equally, you can cook the whole thing the night before, and enjoy cold. Whatever works for you! Put the flour, butter and a pinch of sea salt into a food processor and pulse for 15 seconds, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 4 tablespoons of water and pulse for a few more seconds until it comes together. Scoop on to a flour-dusted work surface and push and pat into a round - don't be tempted to knead it. Wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Lightly oil a non-stick loose-bottomed tart tin (25cm diameter, 4cm deep). Roll out the pastry on a flour-dusted surface, turning it every so often, until it's just under ½cm thick. Gently roll it up around the rolling pin, then unroll it over the oiled tin and ease it into the sides, letting the excess pastry overhang. Prick the base all over with a fork, place on a baking tray, then bake blind for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden. Cool, trim off the excess pastry, and store in an airtight container
• Prep your chosen veg - peel, carefully halve and deseed the squash, then dice into 2cm chunks, or clean and slice the mushrooms. Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Peel and finely slice the onion and garlic, then place in the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add your chosen veg and cook for 30 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelize, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water to prevent it sticking, if needed. Season to perfection, then leave to cool. Tip into a blender, crack in the eggs, add the cream and grate in the Cheddar, then blitz until smooth, cover and refrigerate overnight.
• ON THE DAY Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Pour the filling into the pastry case, then crumble over the goat's cheese. Rub the thyme sprigs with a little oil, then pick the tips and leaves over the tart. Bake for 40 minutes exactly, then remove and leave to cool, ready to wrap and go.

SAVOURY AFTERNOON-TEA / PICNIC TARTS / QUICHES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly butter a 12-hole deep muffin tin.
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using a 4-5in pastry cutter, cut out 12 circles. Loosely press them into the muffin tin, retaining a frilly or wobbly edge to them, rather than pressing in firmly around the edges. Chill in the refrigerator.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks, whole eggs and cream and season with salt and pepper. This is your basic mixture, ready to add your chosen flavours.
• If you are doing the goat cheese and tomato filling, crumble the goat cheese into the chilled pastry cases and scatter over the basil. Pour over the egg mixture and then top each tart with thin slices of tomato.
• If you are doing the ham, cheddar and mustard filling, stir the ham, cheese and mustard into the egg mixture and divide it between the chilled pastry cases.
• Place the tarts in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden and the eggs have set. Cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the tin. Serve warm or cold as a savoury afternoon treat.

PICNIC QUICHES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the tomatoes in a roasting tin, drizzle with a little olive oil and season. Roast for 25-30 mins until they start to shrink and darken, then remove and leave to cool.
• Dry-fry the pancetta until crisp and golden. Set aside on a plate lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the pastry. In a food processor, pulse the flour and 1/2 tsp salt a few times. Add the butter and whizz for about 20 secs until you have a fine crumb. While the processor is going, add 2-3 tbsp of ice-cold water and 1 egg yolk. Mix until a dough is just formed, but do not over-process. Remove the dough, press it into a lump, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 mins.
• Once rested, lightly dust the work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough to a very thin layer, about the thickness of a lasagne sheet. Line each tartlet tin with pastry by cutting a circle around a plate or bowl that's slightly larger than the tins. Press the pastry into the fluted edge, allow the excess to fall over the top edge, and run the rolling pin over the tops of the tins to trim the pastry. Re-roll the pastry off-cuts until you've lined all your tins, then put in the fridge again for 30 mins or until firm.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line the tart cases with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 10 mins. Remove the paper and beans, and bake for a further 5 mins until just turning lightly golden. As soon as the cases come out of the oven, brush them all over with egg white. This creates a seal to protect the pastry from becoming wet from the filling, and ensures a crisper pastry case.
• Scatter half the grated cheese and crumble the crispy pancetta into each tart case. Nestle in the roasted tomatoes, then top with the remaining cheese.
• In a jug, beat together the remaining eggs, the cream and some black pepper. Add the basil and beat again to combine. Put a baking tray in the oven to heat up, then put the quiches on the hot tray resting on the oven shelf and carefully pour the egg mix over the filling until the cases are full. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden and puffed up. Allow to cool, then chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Can be made up to a day ahead.

MINI QUICHES

Steps:

• Roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface until very thin. Cut out circles that are 1cm larger in diameter than the tartlet tins. Line the tins with the pastry circles (you may need to bake these in batches if you do not have enough tins) pressing into the edges and up the sides. Re-roll any pastry offcuts until you've lined all the tins, then chill for 30 mins (if you're baking in batches, chill the off-cuts too).
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line each pastry case with a piece of foil and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 10 mins, then lift out the foil and beans and bake for another 5 mins. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a little oil until crisp.
• Divide the bacon and half the cheese between the cases. Beat the eggs and cream together, then pour over the bacon and cheese until the cases are almost full. Scatter over the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden and puffed up. Leave to cool, then chill before serving. Can be made a day ahead.