I first discovered the delights of asparagus quiche when I came to live in the UK. Asparagus is one of June’s wonderful garden harvest vegetables. It can be a challenge to grow it yourself, but thankfully fresh asparagus is now readily available at local shops or farmers markets most of the summer.
Asparagus is delicious and pretty in a quiche, along with the savoury egg and cream mixture which bakes to become a custard. I like to make my quiches with oat flan pastry to compliment the creamy filling. It’s crunchy and tasty, reminding me of the Scottish oatcakes my mum used to make.
This quiche is perfect for a picnic, a buffet or a potluck bring-and-share dinner. Serve warm or cold for a simple tasty meal. By the way, quiches are great for using up leftovers (see 1st tip) and can be made ahead for convenience.
Serves 4; if you’d like to serve 6-8, see 2nd tip for a 28 cm diameter quiche.
This recipe is suitable for Thermomix TM6, TM5 and TM31.
Method
- Make oat flan pastry and press it into a 20-22 cm diameter ceramic quiche dish or metal tart tin, then chill in fridge 1-6 hours or overnight. See 2nd tip to make a 28 cm diameter quiche.
- Grate parmesan 6 sec/speed 10, then set aside in a small bowl; preheat oven to 160°C with fan/180°C without fan, gas 4, Aga roasting oven.
- Chop onions 5 sec/speed 4½, then add butter and sauté 5 min/Varoma/speed spoon. Set softened onions aside on a plate to cool; meanwhile break off and discard woody asparagus stems, then cut off the tip ends 10 cm long, setting them aside for later. Cut remaining asparagus stems into 1 cm pieces and add to bowl with softened onions.
- Mix eggs, cream, sea salt, pepper and reserved grated parmesan 30 sec/speed 4, then remove pastry shell from fridge and prick all over with a fork – see step photos.
- Sprinkle softened onions and diced asparagus stems evenly over base of pastry shell, then gently pour egg mixture over top. Arrange reserved asparagus spears on top of mixture – they may sink into it.
- Bake quiche 30 minutes or until golden brown and puffed on top. Serve hot, warm, room temperature or cold – see 4th tip to see what we like to have with it. If you’re making it to serve later, cool in dish/tin on a wire rack 30 minutes then chill in fridge until ready to serve.