Broccoli Cheese Quiche with a Rice Crust

I read about this lovely idea over at Ashley’s, The Driven Cook’s blog and set to making this healthy lunch idea with a slightly less healthy white rice and amended the recipe ever so slightly.  This is a super idea to use up left over rice which I always seem to have, on the few occasions that I do cook rice.  I bet that brown rice would add a nice nutty flavour.

Ingredients

Crust
2 cups rice cooked – the original recipe called for brown rice
¼ cup cheddar cheese grated
1 egg

Filling
4 eggs
½ cup milk – the original recipe called for 1 cup
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
1 tsp veggie spice – this was not part of the original recipe
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C.
2. Mix the crust ingredients together and press into a prepared quiche dish.
3. Bake for 7 minutes and allow to cool slightly.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C.
5. Combine the filling ingredients and pour into the crust and baked for 25-30 minutes.  The original recipe calls for 35-40 minutes.

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Caramelised Onion and Bacon Tarts

Savoury tarts always make for a scrumptious lunch and come together quite quickly, so if you have last minute guests, you are good to go. I was going to serve these tasty tarts with a all-home-grown salad and when I went to harvest my greens, my lettuce had all but vanished!  I had the healthiest most beautiful lettuce not 2 days earlier – I can only assume that all the rain we have been having has something to do with it.  What a disappointment, but no matter, these little individual quiches still went down a treat.

Ingredients

1 brown onion thinly sliced
6 rashers streaky bacon chopped
250ml cheddar cheese grated
3 eggs
125ml milk
5ml veggie spice
Black pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Caramelise the onions over a medium heat in a little olive oil and butter.  Set aside.
3. Fry the bacon until cooked through.
4. Beat the eggs in a jug and add the milk, veggie spice and pepper.
5. Divide the onion and bacon into 4 10cm prepared quiche tins. *
6. Divide and spread the cheese over the onion and bacon.
7. Pour over the egg mixture and bake for 15 minutes.

*If using the loose bottom tins, place them on a baking tray in case they leak.

Bacon, Cheese and Onion Tart

Since being home, I have been looking for arrowroot to use for thickening gravies and making batters for crispy coated veggies and the like but alas everywhere is still out of stock so settled on buying Maizena (cornflour).  On the back of the box are 4 recipes, one of which is for a Bacon, Cheese and Onion Tart which uses puff pastry for the base and includes fresh rosemary and hot English mustard.  The idea of this tart got my taste buds to stand at attention.  During the last week of Mom’s visit (yes I know, it was a long while ago) and while Pete was away on another business trip, Mom whipped it up for our dins – it was quite a lot of work for a savoury tart which was kind-of, more like a flat soufflé.  It was nice but not a huge hit with Mom and I – guess we were expecting more of a “traditional” tart – plus I couldn’t pick up the mustard at all.  No matter, it still made for an enjoyable supper.

Ingredients

1 roll puff pastry thawed
30ml oil
15ml butter
1 onion finely chopped
125g rindless bacon finely chopped
15ml chopped rosemary
560ml full cream milk
15ml prepared hot English mustard
30ml cake flour
30ml Maizena
2 extra large eggs separated
250ml graded cheddar cheese

Method

1. Line a pastry dish with puff pastry.  Chill until needed.
2. Heat the oil and butter and saute the onion, bacon and rosemary until golden and soft.
3. Add 500ml of the milk and the mustard and heat.
4. Mix the flour and cornflour.
5. Beat the egg yolks and remaining milk together and mix with the flour and cornflour.
6. Add a little of the warm milk to the flour mixture and add to the heated milk in the saucepan.
7. Cook until thick while stirring continuously.  Leave to cool.
8. Add the cheese.
9. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
10. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form and fold into the filling.
11. Spoon into the prepared pastry shell and bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 180°C and bake for a further 15 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 160°C and bake for 20 more minutes until golden and risen.

White Onion and Marrow Quiche

Tandy’s (Lavender and Lime) challenge for this week is to use white onions as an ingredient.  I immediately knew that this quiche was the way to go.  It is super quick and easy to make and can be made in advance and reheated just before serving.

Ingredients

250ml chopped white onion
750ml grated marrow
3 tbsp butter
3 eggs beaten
250ml cream
375ml grated cheddar cheese
1 pkt white onion soup powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
2. Cook the onion and marrow in the butter until dry.
3. Add the eggs, cream, cheese and soup powder and mix through.
4. Place in a dish and bake for 30minutes.

Cindy’s Spinach and Asparagus Tart

Last nights dinner was a vegetarian affair.  I got the idea from Cindy who posted the recipe on her blog last week.  It is a fabulous meal for a busy week night and I served it with a lettuce, red pepper, onion, pineapple, cucumber and coriander salad drizzled with a vinaigrette dressing.

 

Ingredients

1 roll brown puff pastry (I used white)
1 packet baby spinach cooked and excess water squeezed out
1 tin white asparagus
(I used a bottle of green asparagus)
1 packet pitted green olives (I omitted these)
1 cup of grated extra mature cheddar
(I used 1 ½ cups)
4 eggs whisked
½ cup of cream
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Ground nutmeg (I omitted this)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Line a dish with the puff pastry.
3. Layer the spinach on the pastry shell.
4. Layer the asparagus over the spinach.
5. If using the olives, layer over the asparagus.
6. Cover with the cheese.
7. Mix the cream into the eggs, seasoning with the salt, pepper and nutmeg and pour into the dish making sure to cover all the cheese.
8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

 

Submitted by:  Mandy Frielinghaus, Mauritius

Low GI Quiche Base

As promised, here is the first of the low GI recipes.  This is a really versatile recipe and is super for lunch boxes for school and work.

 

Ingredients

250ml flour
125ml oat bran
10ml mustard powder
1ml salt
45ml soft lite margarine
1 egg
45ml ice cold water

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
2. Spray a quiche pan with non-stick spray or 12 muffin tins (then you can use different fillings at once).
3. Rub the flour, oat bran, mustard powder, salt and margarine together until the mixture forms breadcrumbs.
4. Combine the egg and water and add 15ml of the egg mixture at a time to the flour mixture and mix to form a soft dough.  Add more flour if the mixture is too sticky.  Cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper and chill for 20 – 30 minutes.
5. Press the dough into the prepared pan/s.
6. Fill with ham and cheese, asparagus, spinach and feta and a little bacon, or any combination of your choice.  Alternatively combine 375ml milk with 2 eggs, salt and pepper to taste and pour into the base.
7. Bake for 20 minutes in the quiche pan and 10 minutes for the muffin tins.

 

Submitted by:  Desiree Visagie, Johannesburg

Quiche Lorraine

Aah, the famous and original Quiche Lorraine.  There is something comforting about tucking into a piece of this tart.  Then again, how can you go wrong with bacon, eggs, cream and cheese – yummy.  Except if you are a vegetarian that is.

 

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

225g flour
Pinch of salt
100g butter
Milk

Filling

100g bacon
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
300ml double cream
Salt and pepper to taste
250ml cheddar cheese

Method

Pastry

1. Rub the flour, salt and butter into a breadcrumb consistency.
2. Add a small amount of milk and knead.  Add a tiny bit more milk if necessary.
3. Leave the ball of pastry in the fridge for an hour and then leave at room temperature for half an hour.
4. Roll out the pastry and put into a flan tin.
5. Pinch the base of the pastry.

Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C.
2. Chop and fry the bacon and sprinkle into the pastry base.
3. Beat the eggs and egg yolks together and add the double cream, salt and pepper and pour the egg mixture over the bacon.
4. Sprinkle the cheese over the egg mixture.
5. Bake at 190˚C for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

Submitted by:  Chris Olsen, Mauritius

Marrow Quiche

This recipe is always a hit at tea parties and for lunch with friends.  It can be made the day before and reheated just before serving.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion
3 cups grated marrow
3 tbsp butter
3 eggs beaten
125ml cream
125ml milk
375ml grated cheddar cheese
1 pkt white onion soup powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
2. Cook the onion and marrow in the butter until dry.
3. Add the eggs, cream, milk, cheese and soup and mix through.
4. Place in a dish and bake for 30minutes.

Submitted by:  Elizbe Wessels, Mauritius