Mini Quiche for Two

 

 

I have been wanting to bake myself a quiche for quite a while now.  My sister often makes quiche. She buys the frozen crusts and then just fills them with vegetables, ham and cheese. They make for a quick, easy and delicious supper.

They always sound so delicious when she makes one, but I am only one person. I have been wanting to bake a downsized version and today was the day!  I did make a full recipe of pastry from scratch however.  

If I was going to have pastry leftover, I thought it might  as well be homemade!  I froze one disc and then used the other to make my quiche. Of course once trimmed I had scraps to use up, but using up leftover pie dough has never been a problem for me!

When I was growing up my mother always gathered up the leftover scraps and made something really tasty with them.  She would sometimes roll out the dough and spread it with mustard, cut into rectangles and use it to cover frankfurters, then bake.

We all loved those tasty wiener rolls. Other times she would roll it out, butter it. Fold it in half, butter it again, fold in half again and then cut it into squares and bake. 

We loved those little buttery pastry squares with our soup, or just with peanut butter spread on them. What a treat!

 

I had some leftover ham that needed using up today and so I used that along with some chopped spring onions and cheddar cheese to make a tasty filling for my quiche. You could always add whatever vegetables that you like to eat.

Quiche is a very forgiving kind of a bake.  Bacon is also very good in them.  So is broccoli, as is salmon. A salmon and broccoli quiche is amazing.

For my inspiration I used this recipe here.  It gave me a guideline for amounts and timings. My filling did take a bit longer to bake as my quiche was sized for two and not one, and in a somewhat deeper pie dish.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A MINI QUICHE FOR TWO

Pretty simple every day ingredients. Like I said, this is very adaptable to whatever you have on hand.

• Butter and Lard pastry (make the full recipe and freeze one crust for a later date)
• flour for work surface
• 2 slices of ham chopped coarsely
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 4 TBS strong cheddar cheese
• 2 large free range eggs
• whipping cream to fill the measuring jug to 3/4 cup (180ml)
• 1 heaped tsp of grainy mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

 

For my cheese I had two match box sized pieces of cheese that come in one of those snacking bags. Each was about 2 inches wide, 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.  Perfect.

I had two slices of ham, each one about 1/3 inch thick and about four inches wide. Also perfect.

I used two eggs and cream, just to come to the 3/4 cup mark on my glass measuring cup. If you don't want to use cream, then just use whole milk.  I had cream which needed using from making those TikTok cinnamon rolls the other week. 

The mustard adds a nice kick. You can leave it out if you wish, or use plain Dijon rather than the grainy. Both are nice.

 

HOW TO MAKE MINI QUICHE FOR TWO

This really is a very simple make, and does not take a lot of effort.  

Prepare your pastry. Shape into two round discs. Wrap one tightly and freeze for the future. (see note) Roll the other one out to a round that is 1/4 inch thick.

Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 6.

Place the pastry into the pie dish, using the back of your hand to ease it gently around the sides. Trim off any excess leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Fold this edge under and crimp all the way around the pie dish. Prick the bottom with a fork.

Line the pastry with a piece of crumbled parchment paper and some baking beans or rice. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Remove the parchment paper and the rice/beans. Prick again and then return the crust to the oven for a further 2 minutes.

 

Whisk the eggs and cream together with the mustard. Season lightly with salt and pepper, remembering that both ham and cheese are salty.

Sprinkle the chopped onion on the bottom of the baked crust. Top with the ham and then the cheese. Carefully pour the egg mixture over top. It should come just below the edge of the pastry.

Bake in the preheated oven for a further 25 minutes or until the center of the quiche seems set with just a slight wobble.  Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

 

As you can see, partially baking the crust before you add the filling ensures that you have a very crisp bottom. No soggy bottoms here!

This was delicious.  I enjoyed a half of the quiche with some steamed mixture of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots.  Chips/fries would also go nicely as would a salad.   Altogether this was a fabulous meal!  If you are wanting to make a full sized quiche, might I be a bit cheeky and suggest my recipe which you can find here!

 

As I said above Quiche is a very adaptable dish and lends itself to all kinds of interpretations. Here are some other versions I have made in the past.

BREAKFAST QUICHE STUFFED BAGELS -  Hollowed out bagel halves for the crust for this delightful version.  Easy and delicious, with no pastry involved.  You can double or triple the recipe to feed more. It is also a great way to use up stale bagels.

SALMON & BROCCOLI QUICHE -  Salmon and broccoli make for perfect partners in this delicious full sized quiche with its beautiful crisp pastry.  I used three kinds of cheese to make this lush version of the classic quiche.  Salmon and broccoli go together like peas and carrots!

Mini Quiche for Two

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

This delicious quiche sized for two is a lot simpler to make than one might suspect! With a vegetable or a salad on the side it makes for a fabulous dinner. You will need one (six-inch diameter) deep pie dish

Ingredients

• Butter and Lard pastry (make the full recipe and freeze one crust for a later date)
• flour for work surface
• 2 slices of ham chopped coarsely
• 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 4 TBS strong cheddar cheese
• 2 large free range eggs
• whipping cream to fill the measuring jug to 3/4 cup (180ml)
• 1 heaped tsp of grainy mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Prepare your pastry. Shape into two round discs. Wrap one tightly and freeze for the future. (see note) Roll the other one out to a round that is 1/4 inch thick.
2. Preheat the oven to 425*F/220*C/ gas mark 6.
3. Place the pastry into the pie dish, using the back of your hand to ease it gently around the sides. Trim off any excess leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Fold this edge under and crimp all the way around the pie dish. Prick the bottom with a fork.
4. Line the pastry with a piece of crumbled parchment paper and some baking beans or rice. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Remove the parchment paper and the rice/beans. Prick again and then return the crust to the oven for a further 2 minutes.
5. Whisk the eggs and cream together with the mustard. Season lightly with salt and pepper, remembering that both ham and cheese are salty.
6. Sprinkle the chopped onion on the bottom of the baked crust. Top with the ham and then the cheese. Carefully pour the egg mixture over top. It should come just below the edge of the pastry.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for a further 25 minutes or until the center of the quiche seems set with just a slight wobble.
8. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Frozen pastry can be thawed out in the refrigerator overnight and then used . Bring out of the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for half an hour before rolling out.

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