Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Pumpkin, Spinach and Goat's Cheese Quiche

I made this for lunch today! It is totally delicious...

Pumpkin, Spinach and Goat's Cheese Quiche

Makes one 25cm (10-inch) quiche.

Short-crust pastry to line the quiche dish

Filling:
450 g pumpkin or squash
250 g spinach
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
250 ml double or whipping cream
50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
pinch nutmeg
100 g goat's cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
2. Cut your pumpkin in broad slices, remove the stringy insides and peel the slices. Chop into blocks, lay in a roasting tray and brush with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, until just tender.
3. Wash and destalk the spinach (if necessary), and pour boiling water over. Allow it to stand for a few minutes. Drain and leave to cool. Squeeze out all the water and chop (I pour it through a colander and squeeze the spinach to remove as much water as possible, then cut it with scissors in the colander.)
4. To make the custard, mix together the eggs, egg yolk, cream, nutmeg and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Assemble and bake the tart as follows. Roll out the rested pastry and line a 25cm (10 inch) quiche dish. Chill for another 15 to 20 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides of the tart shell with a fork, line the shell with parchment or foil and fill with beans, and bake blind in the oven for 7 minutes. Remove the foil and beans and bake another 4 minutes, until the bottom of the shell is dry but not coloured.
6. Spread the pumpkin and spinach over the bottom of the tart shell then dot with nuggets of goat's cheese. Pour the custard mixture over the top - it should come almost to the top of the tin but not quite.
7. Bake for around 40 minutes, until the top is brown and the pastry edges are golden. Let it cool for 10 minutes to finish setting.

No comments: