Pumpkin, Caramelised Onion and Goat’s Cheese Quiche
This Pumpkin, Caramelised Onion and Goat's Cheese Quiche combines sweet roasted pumpkin, sweet caramelised onions, baby spinach, and tangy creamy goat's cheese in a deliciously flakey homemade pastry.
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 1 .5 cups Plain flour
- 100 g Butter unsalted, chilled cubed
- 1 tsp Sea salt
- 3 tablespoons Water must be ice cold
For the Filling:
Roasted Pumpkin
- 1/4 of a Kent pumpkin peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Caramelised Onion
- 1 large red onion peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
The Rest
- 1 Handful of baby spinach leaves roughly chopped
- 60 g Goat's cheese or you can use feta cheese instead
- 5 Large eggs
- 1/3 cup Milk
- 1/3 cup Cream or replace with more milk for less richness and a lighter quiche
- 2/3 cup Gruyere or cheddar cheese grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon Fresh chives chopped for garnishing
- 1-2 tablespoons Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for garnishing
Instructions
For the Pastry:
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the cold cubed butter and use your fingers to press the flour into the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly and sand-like.
- Gradually add the ice-cold water, mixing with your hands until a dough forms. Add a little more water if the mixture is too dry.
- Form a the dough into a disc, and wrap it in cling film and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Prepare the Filling:
- Drizzle the pumpkin cubes with the extra virigin olive oil, salt, pepper and some fresh thyme, and roast in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 180°C (350°F).
- In a frypan, caramelise the red onion with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and fresh thyme towards the end
Blind Baking the Pastry:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Roll out the dough and place it into your quiche dish. Prick the base with a fork.
- Line with baking paper and fill with pastry weights or dried legumes. (I use dry beans and you can store them in the freezer to reuse each time you need to blind bake)
- Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove the weights and paper, and bake for another 15 minutes.
Assemble the Quiche:
- Spread the pumpkin and caramelised onions over the baked pastry. Layer the cubed goat’s cheese and baby spinach on top, spreading them evenly, so each slice gets a few pieces.
- Whisk together the eggs, milk, and cream. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over the filling. Sprinkle with the grated Gruyere cheese.
Arrange asparagus spears on top and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and the quiche is set.
- Let the quiche cool for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
- Garnish with chopped fresh chives and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese before serving.
