Cheese and Onion Quiche

This is so delicious! Downright yummy!  I bought this book "Pastry Cook" by Catherine Atkinson more than a year ago and have constantly going through this book, with "delicious plans in my head" of making this and that each time I opened this book, but have never tried anything from it, that is, until now! This is a beautiful, gorgeous book to own, the colourful pictures are stunning and there are a few pictures for every recipe! My favourite kind of cookbook! Don't you just love cookbook full of pictures? 

One of the reasons that I've hardly tried any pastry from this book or any other pastry book, is simply because I'm just lazy. The thought of mixing the pastry, chill it, bake blind, bake again, and preparation of the filling always makes me putting it off again and again. And I'm not very good at rolling the pastry to line it over the pan, there's always holes and tears and the size does not always fit! Finally, out of self-guilt, I decided to give this a try and made this for our lunch, and I am so glad I did! I think I did a pretty good job in rolling and lining the pastry pan. There's a little crack, but I patched it up, and it can't be seen! Hehe! Not perfect, but not too bad either! :)

This Cheese and Onion Quiche is so delicious, my kids have asked me to make this again. I even have to quickly reserve a slice for my hubby to try when he comes home from work before it all disappears! The recipe says this serves 6 to 8, but if you have hungry kids around, it will only serves 4! 

According to the recipe, bacon is an option, well in my house, this does not apply! :)  It is so tasty with the bacon, though I think that without it, it will be delicious too. And I use milk instead of cream.

There will definitely be a repetition of this delicious quiche very soon in my kitchen!

Delicious!

I'm linking this to
Full Plate Thursday over at Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Recipe Swap Thursday over at Prairie Story
Weekend Roundup at 21st Century Housewife
Cookbook Sunday at Mom's Sunday Cafe

Cheese and Onion Quiche
(adapted from "Pastry Cook" by Catherine Atkinson)
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
25gm / 1oz / 2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
4 rindless streaky (fatty) bacon rashers (strips), roughly chopped (optional)
3 eggs
300ml / 1/2 pint / 1-1/4 cups single (light) cream or milk
1.5ml / 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
90gm / 3-1/2 oz hard cheese, such as Cheddar or Gruyere, grated
salt and ground black pepper


For The Pastry :
200gm / 7oz / 1-3/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
2.5ml / 1/2 tsp salt
90gm / 3-1/2 oz / scant 1/2 cup butter, diced
about 60ml / 4 tbsp chilled water

1. To make the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a small bowl. Rub or cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 45ml/3 tbsp of the water and mix to a firm dough, adding more water if required. Knead until smooth, wrap in clear film (plastic wrap) and chill for 20 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough on a clean, lightly floured work surface and use to line a 23cm/9in loose-based flan tin (quiche pan). Press the pastry firmly into the sides and base of the tin and let it rise above the rim by about 1cm/1/2 in to allow for a little shrinkage during cooking. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork.
3. Line the pastry case with foil and baking beans and chill again for about 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 with a baking sheet placed in it. Stand the flan tin on the baking sheet and bake blind for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the foil and beans from the pastry case and return it to the oven for a further 5 minutes. Remove the pastry case from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
5. To make the filling, melt the butter in a large, heavy frying pan. Add the onion and chopped bacon, is using, and saute for about 10 minutes until the onion is soft and golden. Beat the eggs and the cream or milk together in a bowl. Add the grated nutmeg and seasoning to taste.
6. Spoon the onion mixture into the cooked pastry case and evenly sprinkle over the cheese. Pour the egg and cream mixture slowly over the filling. Bake the quiche for 35-40 minute, or until the filling has just set. Remove from the oven, leave to cool, then gently ease the quiche out of the tin and transfer to a serving plate.

(my notes : to check whether the filling is well seasoned, I just put a tablespoon of the egg and milk mixture into a corner of the frying pan (hold frying pan and tilt it) and cook until set, then taste it, add more salt and pepper if necessary before pouring it all on the filling. You would not enjoy a quiche which is not well seasoned! 
You could however try it without cooking it, but I do not like to do that when there are raw eggs!)

yum! yum!