Asparagus Cream Cheese Quiche Recipe

Ingredients for Asparagus Cream Cheese Quiche

 For the Pastry

• 175g (6oz) plain flour
• A pinch of salt
• 45g (1½oz) cold lard, diced
• 45g (1½oz) cold butter, diced

For the Filling

• 175g (6oz) green asparagus
• spears
• A little olive oil
• 115g (4oz) cream cheese
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 85g (3oz) mature Cheddar
• cheese, grated
• 2 eggs
• 150ml (5fl oz) single cream

Method for Asparagus Cream Cheese Quiche:

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the fat and rub in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix with 2 tbsp cold water to form a firm dough. Knead gently on a lightly floured surface. Roll out and use to line a 20cm (8in) flan ring set on a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF/Gas 6). Fill the pastry-lined flan ring with crumpled foil, or line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, or paper and baking beans, and bake for a further 5 minutes to dry out. Remove from the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4).
3. Toss the asparagus in a little olive oil. Cook on a hot griddle pan for 2 minutes each side until bright green and just tender.
4. Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of the pastry case. Sprinkle with the thyme, some pepper, and the Cheddar. Trim the asparagus spears to fit the flan, as necessary. Scatter the asparagus trimmings over the cheese and lay the whole spears attractively on top. Beat the eggs and cream together with a little salt and pepper. Pour into the flan. Bake in the oven until golden and set, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

This recipe is from the Grown in Britain Cookbook published by Dorling Kindersley with the Soil Association and is used with permission.

Asparagus Cream Cheese Quiche

See Also:

Pastry Making - Basic Guide & Tips to How to Make Pastry

These guides compliment our recipes section. Basic guide to making pastry - for individual types of pastry, see below. Pastry Ingredients: Flour for Pastry Making: Use good quality flour for pastry making if you can. It should be quite dry...

How to Make Cheese Pastry

These pastry making guides compliment our recipes section. Cheese pastry is used for cheese biscuits and straws, savoury tarts, pies, flans and turnovers. It works well with a strong cheese, such as a mature cheddar or a blue cheese such as Stilton...

How to Make Shortcrust Pastry

These pastry making guides compliment our recipes section. Shortcrust pastry is the most common type of pastry and very easy to make though it does need to be kept cool and handled as little as possible. Use for sweet and savoury flans, pies, tarts...