Courgette and Havarti Quiche
This quiche is a favourite lunch among the folks that attend our cake decorating classes. Like all my recipes this is versatile and can be made in a variety of ways. Scroll down a bit for some variations. This quiche also freezes well, and can be reheated for a lovely, kind-a healthy lunch.
For the pastry
In this recipe, I used a pre-packaged short crust pastry, but you could prepare your own short crust, or you could replace with phyllo pastry. if using phyllo pastry, brush each sheet with melted butter and layer about 8 layers into the quiche tin. Then tuck in the corners of phyllo to create a “side” for the pie. I favour this method, because you can make the sides higher than the side of the tin allowing for a more generous quantity of filling. You do not need to blind bake the phyllo.
For blind baking, cover the pastry with foil and weight that foil down with baking beads or dry rice (keep this for future projects).
Top tip: Only trim the pastry edge after blind baking so prevent the pastry from shrinking. The edges can be trimmed with a sharp knife once the pastry is cooked.
For the custard
The rule: 3 eggs for each cup of liquid. The recipe works for cream or milk or any ratio combination of the two. For a lower calorie version use fat free milk and for a decadent creamy version use cream.
For the quiche fillings
This is a courgette and havarti recipe, but you can replace the vegetables and the cheese with a variety of other filling. Here are some suggested combinations. Meats and most vegetables should be cooked before putting into the pie.
Mushroom and gruyere
Butternut and feta
Onion and goats cheese
Bacon and leek
Broccoli and blue cheese
Brie and cranberry jelly
Courgette and Havarti Quiche
Equipment
- 25 cm quiche tin
- rice or baking beads for blind baking
Ingredients
- 400 g short crust pastry pre-prepared
- 4 eggs
- 400 ml cream and/or milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 400 g courgettes finely sliced
- 200 g cheddar cheese grated
- 200 g havarti cheese grated
Instructions
- Blind bake the pastry shell
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the quiche pan on a metal tray to make handling easier and catch any custard drips later.
- Roll out the short crust pastry on a lightly floured surface and press into the quiche tin. Don't trim the sides yet - this will be done after baking to prevent the dough from shrinking.
- Place a piece of foil over the pastry and fill with baking beads or rice and blind bake for 15-20 minutes. If the pastry is still raw in the middle, remove the foil and beads and bake uncovered for a further 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and trim any excess pastry with a sharp knife.
- Prepare the custard
- Using only cream makes this recipe very rich, so I use a mixture of cream and milk or just milk if I am looking for a lower calorie version.
- Mix the eggs and cream/milk well with a whisk and season well with salt and pepper
- Layer the pie
- Place a half of the sliced courgettes at the bottom follow with about half of the cheese and half the custard and repeat with the remaining ingredients. If the pie crust is very getting very full, slide the tray with the crust into the oven and pour the last bit of custard in.
- Turn the oven down to 160°C and bake the pie for about 30 minutes. The custard should still have a slight wobble but not runny and the top should be golden brown.
- Serve warm with a side salad.