Spinach Quiche

I simply love making tarts and when I do make up a batch of tart dough, I would usually have an extra one to freeze up. So whenever I get cravings for tarts, I would just pull out the frozen tart shell for a simple lunch or over tea-time. Only problem then would be to figure out what to fill it with. This was one of those occassions where I had a spare tart shell sitting in the freezer and left over mozarella cheese from a previous pizza making venture. And what comes out of it ... a spinach quiche. Not bad I would say.

My fridge and freezer, plus my larder, is always jam packed with food stuff. I always tell friends that if they get confined indoors in my apartment, they don't have to worry about food for at least a month. If you think I'm kidding .... I'm truly not!



Spinach Quiche
Makes one 9" tart

For the pate brisee:

250g all purpose flour
150g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp fine salt
pinch of superfine sugar
1 medium egg
1 Tbsp cold milk

Method:

1) Sift flour into a bowl. Add salt and sugar.

2) Add in the butter.

3) Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles rough breadcrumbs.

4) In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg with the milk and drizzle it onto the flour mixture.

5) Using your hands, blend the mixture together and lighly knead to bring together. Try not to handle the dough too much.

6) Roll the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk and chill for about 45 minutes to an hour.

8) To line your tart tray, I find it easier to roll the dough between two pieces of clingwrap plastic. Roll to about 3" wider than the base of your tray. Remove the top wrap.

9) Lift the dough using the clingwrap plastic and gently flip it into your tart tray. Press the dough onto the tray and trim off the excess.

10) Dock the base of the tart shell with a fork and then place it into the fridge for another hour.

11) Preheat oven to 190C. Bake the shell blind, for about 15 minutes. Then remove the parchment paper and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool before pouring in the filing.



For the Quiche Filing:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of diced onion
1 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup spinach (defrosted and squeeze out the excess water)
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup of mozarrella cheese (you can use any other cheese or a mixture of cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan)
3 Tbsp grated parmesan to sprinkle on the top

Method:

1) Heat olive oil in a small frying pan and sautée onions gently until starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2) Preheat the oven to 180C.

3) Beat together the eggs, cream, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Leave on counter during the rest of the preparation to allow it to come to room temperature.

4) Add in the onions, spinach, diced tomatoe and mozarella into the batter and stir well.

5) Pour the mixture into the tart casing. Then sprinkle the parmesan on the top of the quiche.

6) Place on a baking sheet and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before serving.