Pea and Ham Quiche

Time was – if you’re even approaching my age – that every house had at least one china/pottery Quiche dish in the kitchen cupboard. They were actually quite handy for holding other things – like salad, or crisps for a party – but hardly ever got used for making quiche. People bought them, used them once – discovered that it was an awful job trying to get the first slice out – and found other uses for them.. Fair enough, but I’ve always liked Quiche. I spotted this recipe on a favourite foodie website called ‘Pardon your French’ – do check it out – and I’ve been waiting to get some proper ham to make it. The very last thing I thought about was whether I had the requisite 9inch/23cm Quiche dish in my cake tin drawer.. As it turned out I had two – both with loose bases, both pristine, both identical, both never used before ..

‘It’s a sign’, I thought, and spent a happy Sunday mid-afternoon making this for you..

‘Allons y’, as they say in Niagara-on-the-Lake..

EQUIPMENT:

• A 9inch/23cm loose-bottomed Quiche tin
• A medium-sized bowl
• A medium/large Jug
• A food processor (optional)
• a Cheese grater
• a smallish frying pan
• A hand whisk.

INGREDIENTS:                                                           

Pastry:

• 260g Plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 130g very cold unsalted butter
• 75mls Cold water

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 300g diced Ham (I used leftover Ham from a boiled joint)
• 200g frozen Petit Pois or other frozen peas.
• 4 large eggs                                                                                        
• 180mls Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 a teaspoon of freshly ground Black pepper
• 100g grated Cheese. I used a mild Cheddar, but it’s entirely up to you..

METHOD:

Make the pastry first:

• Sift the flour and salt into the bowl
• Grate the butter into the flour (see NOTES) Rub the butter into the flour. Or put the whole lot into a food processor and blitz to breadcrumb stage.
• Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time (I used it all today) and bring together without over-handling it.
• Form it into a flattened circular patty, cover with clingfilm and give it at least 30 minutes rest in the fridge.

While the pastry is chilling:

• Butter and flour your Quiche tin.
• Leave to one side.
• Melt the butter in the frying pan, add the ham and cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown a little. Remove to a plate.
• Add the frozen peas to the same frying pan and allow to cook gently until fully defrosted. Remove from the heat.
• Mix the eggs, milk, Dijon Mustard, Black Pepper and Cayenne Pepper together until well mixed.
• Add the grated cheese.
• Finally add the peas and Ham, and combine well.

• Heat the oven to 180Fan
• Roll out the pastry until it’s about 15 inches in diameter
• Carefully place it in the tin – making sure that the pastry is closely lining the grooves of the tin. See picture at the bottom..
• Trim off the excess pastry (see NOTES), and prick the base of the tin all over with a fork.
• Give the filling one last good mix, then pour it into the pastry case and place on the middle rung of the oven for 40 minutes. Turn if halfway through the cooking time, if your oven is like mine..

• Remove the Quiche to a cooling rack, and leave for at least 20 minutes before separating the base from the tin, then serving. It’s puffed up when it comes out of the oven, and sinks down as it cools – this is normal!

NOTES:

• If you’re grating the butter, it’s well worth ‘dunking’ it into the flour every few minutes – that way it doesn’t get too warm from your fingers, and also gives you a little traction.
• I had quite a bit of pastry left over, which I’ve refrigerated, to make something small but tasty – the pastry is really good.
• I have to admit that I thought the original 300g of peas was too much, but I decided to follow the recipe exactly – so not like me, as you’ll know if you’re a regular reader! And I was right – I think that 300g of peas is too much, so I’m reducing it to 200g in this recipe, and for the next time I make it. The original photographs here show 300g, btw.
• It’s actually lovely to have a) the correct tin for a Quiche, and  b) a recipe for really lovely Quiche pastry.
• I always used to add some cream to a quiche filling, but there’s none in this one. I might swap out 20mls or so of the milk for whipping cream on another occasion..
• I’ll be changing this recipe – of course you will, I hear you cry – to suit my personal tastes. I absolutely love some finely chopped and crisply fried-off Chorizo in a quiche.  I know you’ll find your own favourites.