There will be some pastry left over, make a roll of it and freeze it will be useful for canapés
375g strong flour + extra flour for rolling 5g fine sea salt 125g COLD unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 1 COLD extra large egg 50g COLD waterThis pastry recipe is less buttery rich than some we have but excellent for wetter fillings.
Not overworking pastry of any type of is the secret. I do not make pastry in my Thermomix. To get a good finish, the batch is too small and this recipe will be overworked before it comes together. COLD is listed for a reason..it makes better pastry!!! Video below!
The best pastry is made without over working!
Place the flour and salt into a food processor and mix, then with the motor running add the butter down the feed tube, then add the egg and 4 tablespoons of cold water.
Asses if you will need the last tablespoon of water, and when the pastry has come together, knead on a lightly floured surface, flatten it out into a disk, cover with plastic and rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
Thickly butter a 25cm drop bottom flan, roll out the pastry and line the flan…rest for another 30 minutes before baking.
pre heat oven to 175°C
Put your blind baking beads into the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. Place the flan on a baking sheet; tear off a piece of foil large enough to cover the flan with about a 5cm overlap. Place the foil, shiny side down and carefully press it against the edges and fold it over. Tip the heated beads into the flan, push them out against the edges and without delay, put it in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. When the timer goes carefully lift the foil from the edges and lift the foil and beads away. Return the flan to the oven for 10 minutes…allow to cool standing on a rack or if you have everything ready to fill go straight ahead.
asparagus quiche
entrée or light lunch for 4 – vegetarian
1 x 30 cm x 4cm deep blind baked savoury pastry flan
2 large bunches of asparagus [400g], stalks trimmed and cut into roughly cut into 4cm
200g Swiss Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated
5 x 61g eggs, 2 whole and 3 yolks, whites reserved for another purpose
500g cream
3g Maldon
1/2 a nutmeg, freshly grated
freshly ground black pepper
50g parmesan, finely grated
2 cups of ice
pre heat the oven to 175°C
Put the ice into a bowl and add a cup of cold water. Using a basket, blanche the asparagus in boiling salted water with a splash of olive oil for two minutes. Immediately, drain and drop it into the ice bath until it is quite cold. Drain it well and dry it out on a clean cloth, then put it on the bottom of the flan.
Evenly scatter the Gruyere over the top. Break the whole eggs and yolks into a bowl, add the salt, pepper and nutmeg, whisk well, then whisk in the cream. Pour into the flan and top with the grated parmesan. Cook for 30 minutes.
Allow to stand on a rack for 45 minutes before cutting. Delicious either hot or at room temperature.
cook’s notes
Gruyere is the best choice but don’t be afraid to use up odds and sods of left over cheese you might have lurking in your fridge; cheddars, mozzarella some of the harder Spanish and Italian cheeses, even small bits of soft cheese like brie and camembert can make tasty melty pockets.
