English Asparagus Quiche – Seasonal Veggie Delight

I love eating seasonal produce and new season English asparagus is delicious and such a versatile vegetable. As it’s National Vegetarian Week next week I wanted to share one of my favourite recipes, perfect for a weekend lunch for family, friends and, in my opinion, real men too!

Ingredients

For the pastry:

225g (8 oz) plain (all purpose) flour
120g (4.2oz) cold butter, coarsely grated plus a knob for greasing tin
1 medium egg yolk
pinch of sea salt
few drops of cold water ( if needed)

For the asparagus filling:

275g (9.7 oz) fresh asparagus
Flour & butter rubbed together to form fine crumbs
1 shallot, finely chopped
300 ml (10.1 fl oz) double (heavy) cream
55g (2 oz) Gruyere cheese, grated
2 eggs
knob of butter
freshly ground sea salt & black pepper

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C Fan (360 F)

Rub the butter and flour together for a few minutes until it resembles fine crumbs
Add the egg yolk and if needed a few drops of water to form a smooth dough
Wrap in cling film (saran wrap) and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes
Dough ready to chill
Cook the shallots in butter for 3-4 minutes on a low/medium heat until soft & translucent
Cook the asparagus until al dente (3-4 minutes if steaming or1.5 minutes in microwave on high power)
Chop the cooked asparagus into 2cm (3/4 inch) lengths, retain all the tops, and puree half the stalks in a food processor
Asparagus cooked, stalks in the bowl ready to puree
Beat the eggs into the double cream until combined, add the asparagus puree, shallots, cheese & season well
Grease a 25cm (10 inch) round loose bottom tart tin ( I use a fluted one)
Roll out the dough thinly on a lightly floured surface and line the tin, pressing the dough into the sides & patch up any holes if necessary
Pastry case ready to blind bake

Prick the base of the dough all over with a fork, line with baking parchment paper and baking beans or rice
Baked pastry case ready for the filling

Bake for 15 minutes, then remove paper and baking beans and return to the oven for 5 minutes until lightly golden
Arrange the asparagus pieces in the bottom of the tart and slowly add the cream, egg, puree, cheese mixture
Quiche ready for baking

Bake for about 35 minutes until golden on top, set but with a slight wobble
Golden & Baked

Cool before serving