Clodagh McKenna's coronation quiche
Following news that a quiche will be the official dish of the Coronation celebrations, Clodagh’s testing out the recipe to see if it really is fit for royalty.
Coronation quiche - Official recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients
Pastry
125g plain flour
Pinch of salt
25g cold butter, diced
25g lard
2 tablespoons milk
Or 1 x 250g block of readymade shortcrust pastry
Filling
125ml milk
175ml double cream
2 medium eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
Salt and pepper
100g grated cheddar cheese
180g cooked spinach, lightly chopped
60g cooked broad beans or soya beans
Method
1. To make the pastry, sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your fingertips until you get a sandy, breadcrumb-like texture. Add the milk a little at a time and bring the ingredients together into a dough. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
2. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick.
3. Line the tin with the pastry, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
5. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes, before removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C.
7. Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
8. Scatter 1/2 of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture.
9. If required gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed but be careful not to damage the pastry case.
10. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.
Coronation quiche - Clodagh's recipe
Serves 3
Ingredients
Pastry
125g plain flour, plus extra to dust
80g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp cold water
Filling
15g butter
1/2 leek, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 clove of garlic, crushed
90g spinach
2 1/2 eggs
100ml double cream
40 ml milk
75g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
55g sun-blushed tomatoes, chopped in half
1 tbsp fresh basil, torn
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. To make the pastry, put the flour, chilled butter, egg yolk, and cold water into a food processor and blend until the pastry binds together.
2. Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead until the pastry is smooth. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a circular shape. Then carefully place into a tart tin, then carefully place it into the tin, easing the pastry into the base. Trim the pastry edges, press the pastry into the fluted edge, lightly prick the base with a fork several times, then chill for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 180oc.
4. Line the chilled pastry with parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove the parchment and baking beans and bake for another 10 minutes until barely starting to brown on the edges.
5. Place a saucepan over a medium heat, add the butter and once melted, stir in the sliced leeks and crushed garlic. Leave to sweat for 3 minutes, then stir in the spinach and cook for a further minute until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the pan and place on a clean tea towel, and ring all the excess water from the spinach.
6. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and milk. Add the grated cheddar cheese, spinach, leeks, basil, sun-blushed tomatoes and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.
7. Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pastry case and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes, or until the filling is set and lightly golden.
8. Allow the quiche to cool slightly before slicing and serving. Enjoy!