TOMATO & SPINACH QUICHE
Serves 6
4 Roma tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste Extra virgin olive oil, to taste 1 small onion, finely diced 200g spinach
300ml cream
3 egg yolks
1 egg
SHORTCRUST PASTRY
210g plain flour
Pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, cubed 25ml cold water
1 egg
To make the pastry, sieve flour and salt into a bowl. Rub butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the water and lightly beaten egg. Carefully bring in flour mixture until dough comes together. Knead lightly.
Shape dough into 2 discs and wrap in plastic film. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll the pastry out to about 3mm thick and line a fluted quiche tin with a little overhang at the top. (Any leftover pastry can be frozen for another use.) Refrigerate tart case.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut the tomatoes in half lengthways and place on a lined baking sheet, sprinkling the cut side with salt and pepper and a little oil. Place in the oven and bake at the same time that you are blind-baking the tart case – for about 20 minutes until the tomatoes are roasted and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from oven, set aside. Reduce oven to 160°C. Sweat the onion in a frying pan in a little oil until soft. Add the spinach and cook for another couple of minutes. Cool.
Arrange spinach mixture on the pastry. Place tomatoes on top.
Mix the cream and eggs, then season with salt and black pepper. Pour into the pastry-lined tin and put in oven. Cook for 40 minutes. The filling will puff up and turn goldenbrown. Rest quiche rest for a minute, then serve. NOTE: This quiche can be served at room temperature, too.
CHEDDAR WITH ECCLES CAKES & GRAPES
Serves 6
1 x 250g piece of good-quality cheddar 250g grapes
ECCLES CAKES
50g unsalted butter
110g dark brown sugar
220g currants
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
PASTRY
500g butter puff pastry roll
GLAZE
3 egg whites, beaten with a fork Shallow bowl of caster sugar
Preheat oven to 200°C. To make the Eccles cakes, melt the butter and sugar together in a saucepan, then add to the dry ingredients. Mix well, then set aside to cool.
Line a tray with baking paper. Unroll pastry onto a floured work surface and cut 12 circles about 9cm in diameter. Spoon a blob of cake mix into the centre of each disc and pull up the pastry sides to cover the filling – seal with your fingers. Turn the cakes over, place on tray and slash the top three times (for the Holy Trinity).
Paint top of cakes with egg white, then dip them in the sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes; ensure they don’t burn. They can be eaten hot or cold.
Serve with cheddar and grapes.
BUTTERMILK QUINCE CAKE
Makes one 22cm cake
200g unsalted butter, chopped 220g caster sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons 3 eggs
250g self-raising flour 1 teaspoon baking powder
2⁄3 cup buttermilk
300g poached quinces 2 tablespoons raw sugar
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the base of a 22cm springform cake tin with butter and flour. Beat butter, sugar and lemon rind together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time; beat well after each addition.
Sift flour and baking powder together, then fold into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk, in 2 separate batches. Spoon cake mixture into tin, smooth the top. Slice quinces and arrange over cake mixture. Sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Stand cake on a rack for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Serve with whipped cream.