Quiche Lorraine

Ever since I’ve been to Paris, I wanted to make a proper homemade quiche. My brother made Quiche Lorraine a few times before following this recipe and it was really delicious so I decided to just substitute the regular flour with spelt flour and gave it a try. It turned out really delicious and it’s great because you can serve it either hot as a main dish for up to 5 people or as one of the many snacks for a dinner party because it tastes just as amazing cold.

Ingredients:

For the pastry

175g spelt flour

100g cold butter, cut into pieces

1 egg yolk

3 tbsp cold water

For the filling

200g baked ham, cut into small cubes

80g Gauda, grated

200ml sour cream

200ml cooking cream

3 eggs, well beaten

pinch ground nutmeg

Instructions:

1. For the pastry, put the flour, butter, egg yolk and 4 tsp cold water into a food processor. Using the pulse button, process until the mix binds. Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, gather into a smooth ball, then roll out as thinly as you can. Butter a 24 cm round loose-bottomed tin and transfer the pastry into the base. Trim the pastry edges with scissors (save any trimmings) so it sits slightly above the tin (if it shrinks, it shouldn’t go below the level of the tin). Press the pastry into the flutes, lightly prick the base with a fork, then chill for 10 mins. Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Line pastry case with foil, shiny side down, fill with dry beans and bake on the hot sheet for 15 mins. Remove foil and beans and bake for 4-5 mins more until the pastry is pale golden. If you notice any small holes or cracks, patch up with pastry trimmings. You can make up to this point a day ahead.

3. While the pastry cooks, prepare the filling. Heat a small frying pan, tip in the baked ham and fry for a couple of mins until it just starts to colour, but isn’t crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Grate the Gauda. Scatter the hald of the cheese and baked ham over the bottom of the pastry case.

4. Using a spoon, beat the sour cream to slacken it then slowly beat in the cooking cream. Mix in the beaten eggs. Season (you shouldn’t need much salt) and add nutmeg. Pour the mixture in the tin and scatter over the remaining grated cheese and ham over the top, then carefully place the tin into the oven. Lower the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Bake for about 25 mins, or until golden and softly set (the centre should not feel too firm). Let the quiche settle for 4-5 mins, then remove from the tin. Serve freshly baked or cold.

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