DELICIOUS MINI QUICHE LORRAINE’S

If you’re having a party, I always find that anything to do with pastry is a sure fire hit! You just can’t go wrong with pastry, especially on a cold Winter’s night.

For a recent party I made lots of sausage rolls and mini quiches and they were all very popular, especially the quiches. Below is the recipe for the Quiche Lorraine’s. I also realised half way through that I had a vegetarian coming so I made a couple of batches of vegetarian quiches as well. (recipe to follow)

You can make this recipe as easy or as hard as you want to make it. I had loads to cook so I wanted to make it as easy and as quick as possible so I bought ready rolled shortcrust pastry sheets. If you want to be very authentic and homemade, you can of course make the pastry yourself. I knew I was going to be making about 70 so I bought loads of pastry.

This recipe gives you pastry quantities to make enough for 24 mini quiches. You can make it a week in advance, well wrapped in clingfilm and kept in the fridge.

Ingredients
For the pastry: (enough for 24)
280g plain flour
140g cold Butter, cubed
8 tbsp water

Or…1 ready-rolled shortcrust pastry sheet

For the filling:
2 onions, chopped
6 rashers of streaky smoked bacon, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
4 eggs
100ml double cream
200ml milk
300g cheddar cheese, grated

Method
To make the pastry put the flour and butter in a processor and pulse until breadcrumbs form. Add the water, 1 tbsp at a time and continue to pulse until the pastry comes together. Tip out, divide into 2 and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

If you’re buying ready rolled shortcrust pastry sheets, I got about 30 out of one sheet.

Preheat oven to 190c/375f then gently fry the onion in a little oil. Add the bacon.

Combine the onion and bacon then add the thyme and season. Fry for 5/10 minutes then set aside to cool.

Take the pastry out of the fridge (you can leave the other half of the pastry in the fridge for a couple of days), roll out on floured work surface to 5mm then cut 12 rounds with a scone cutter.

Line a 12 hole fairy cake tin with the pastry rounds.

Then fill each one with the bacon mixture.

In a jug whisk together the eggs, cream and milk and pour equally into the uncooked quiches – don’t overfill.

Sprinkle the cheese on the top of each one.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

When you break through the pastry you will be met with a delicious smoky, creamy centre. These really are delicious and I promise you that your house will smell amazing when they’re in their in the oven. If you’re serving these at a party you will have some very happy friends.