Quiche Lorraine
This is a delicious Quiche Lorraine with a twist, you spread cream cheese over the pastry base, then layer your cheese, ham and finally add the custard layer as you would for a usual quiche. You don’t taste the layer of cream cheese however, you get a wonderful creamy end result. Served to family or friends as a mid- week meal with a salad, or if you are looking to fill a lunch box with something different and tasty, this is the recipe to try, my kids love it.
You can easily omit the ham for a vegetarian option.
Ham & Cream Cheese Quiche
Preparation time
Cooking time
Total time
Please try and make the pastry yourself, it is worth the extra time and takes this delcious quiche to another level.
Marissa: www.marissa.co
Recipe type: Light Lunches
Cuisine: British
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- For the Pastry
- 175g plain flour
- Pinch of salt
- 90g cold butter, diced
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
- (Alternatively, use a pack of short crust pastry, if you have the time to try the pastry it takes the quiche to a different level)
- For the Filling
- 70g chopped Ham (about 4 slices)
- 115g cream cheese
- ¼ teaspoon English mustard powder
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 85g mature cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 medium eggs
- 150ml single cream
- 2 Tablespoons of chopped chives to garnish
Method
- Pastry Method by Hand
- Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
- Add the butter and rub into the flour with fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of cold water to form a firm dough.
- Note: Flours vary so add half the water first and drizzle in the rest until the mixture forms a ball, sometimes the mixture will require more water to be added, add the extra water in teaspoonful's until the dough forms a ball.
- Pastry Method in a Food Processor
- Add the flour, salt and butter to the food processors bowl.
- Blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Add the water, flours vary so add half the water first and drizzle in the rest until the mixture forms a ball, sometimes the mixture will require more water to be added, add the extra water in teaspoonful's until the dough forms a ball.
- The dough is ready when the mixture comes away from the sides of the bowl. It is like magic you get a lovely clean bowl and gorgeous pastry.
- Knead the dough gently on a floured surface.
- Roll out the pastry and line a 22cm loose bottomed flan ring (about 4cm deep), set on a baking sheet.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes, this will help prevent the dough from shrinking.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.
- To blind bake your pastry case, fill the pastry lined flan ring with crumpled foil or line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans or dried pulses if you don’t have baking beans.
- Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
- Remove the foil or paper and baking beans and bake for a further 5 minutes to dry out the pastry, this gives you a lovely crisp crust.
- Remove from the oven.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.
- Beat the eggs, cream, English mustard powder and pepper together,
- Gently spread the cream cheese over the base of the pastry case, sprinkle the cheese over the cream cheese and evenly distribute the ham over the cheese.
- Pour the egg custard over the ham and cheese.
- Bake in the oven until golden and the custrad is set, this takes about 30-40 minutes.
- Best served warm as a starter, light lunch with a salad, a main in summertime, cold for a picnic or great as a packed lunch.
Tips
Meat Option: 175g chopped and lightly fried bacon or any other meat
Vegetarian Option: add chopped 175g of leeks fried till softened or 175g asparagus spears
Vegetarian Option: add chopped 175g of leeks fried till softened or 175g asparagus spears
