Easter Quiche
Spring is here!
Springtime in Bern, pictures by Sam.
So what better time for a spring onion tart?
This recipe was taken from the latest (and last) issue of Migros' cooking magazine, the very classy Saison Küche. They had a spread on what Switzerland's neighbours eat at Easter, and this elegant tart was (of course) a favourite of the French.
Saison Küche will now give way to a seemingly more youth-oriented magazine next month, Migusto, which involves an app that is supposed to help with meal planning. It's probably very convenient.
As much as I regret seeing Saison Küche go, Migros can at least be happy that their new app is not as unfortunately named as Loeb's 'Mealy', (yes, mealy) or 'Fooby' Coop's amalgamation of 'food' and 'hobby' (though they win the prize for prettiest pictures).
This quiche is super easy to prepare and tastes delicious hot or cold. If you are having an Easter ham, this will help you use up your leftovers.
one bundle of spring onions (about 5-6)
knob of butter
about 250 g of pastry dough, or enough to cover your pan
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
150 g cooked ham
100 g Gruyère or other hard cheese, grated
3 eggs
150 ml milk
100 ml cream
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
thyme, salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6
Slice the onions into long ribbons. In a small frying pan, melt the butter until spluttering, then fry the onions for about five minutes, or until tender.
Roll out your dough and line a 26 cm / 10 inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom (or similar). You can cut away excess dough, or artfully arrange it over the edge of the pan.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs over bottom of the tart, then arrange the spring onions, ham and cheese on top.
In a large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, and mustard. Pour this over the filling. Season with thyme, salt and pepper.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the filling isn't jiggly anymore and the pastry is golden.
If Sam had his way, this tart would contain 200 % more onions. Use your own discretion and bump up the quantity if desired.
I was lazy and used store bought dough for this, but you could also make your own Kuchenteig
If you don't have cream, you can use all milk.
The amount of liquid required can vary based on the size of the pan etc. If there is too much liquid, the pan will overrun, so leave a little bit of space under the edge of the dough.
If you do use a tart pan with a removable bottom, they can really be a pain to clean. Soak it as soon as the tart is out, and save your brush from all the pesky dough bits by using your fingernails to scrape out all the individual grooves instead.