A leek and bacon quiche is more interesting than straight quiche Lorraine, the leeks adding a subtle depth of flavour.
I also made a little vegetarian quiche with just leeks and onion as well – just follow the recipe below omitting the bacon. You will need to fry the leeks and onions in butter, adding this at the start of cooking.
The short crust pastry recipe for the pastry base is Maggie Beer’s full proof sour cream pastry – very easy to make, easy to roll out and tastes delicious.
Maggie Beer’s Sour Cream Pastry
Ingredients
200g chilled unsalted butter
250g plain flour
135g sour cream
Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C, 170 degrees C fan forced.
To make the sour cream pastry, pulse butter and flour in a food processor until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and continue to pulse until the dough starts to incorporate into a ball. Using your hands, shape pastry into a ball. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Roll the pastry out to 3mm thick and place in a well greased fluted quiche tin.
Rest for 15 minutes in refrigerator. This helps reduce shrinkage when cooking. Remove from the fridge, place some pie weights on baking paper inside the tart, and bake blind in the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and baking paper.
Decrease oven temperature to 170 degrees C, 160 degrees C fan forced.
Filling
Ingredients
6 rashers of free range bacon
I large onion finely chopped
1 extra large leek or 2 medium leeks, finely chopped
A knob of butter
Salt, pepper
4 free range eggs
1/2 cup cream
3/4 cup milk
Salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg
Handful of grated cheddar
Method
Heat a large non-stick frying pan. Add finely chopped bacon rashers over medium heat, and fry till bacon fat is translucent. Add finely chopped onion, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add finely chopped leek and the knob of butter.
Stir gently, cover and cook on very low heat until onions and leeks are soft. (About 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, in a bowl or large jug (the latter is very useful as you can pour the custard into the quiche tin easily), beat the eggs, cream and milk together until thoroughly combined. Add salt, pepper, fresh nutmeg and cheddar.
Spoon the leek, onion and bacon mixture into the tart.
Carefully pour the custard mixture into the tin. (I find it easiest to place the tin in the oven first before pouring).
Bake until the custard is just set but still wobbly – about 30-40 mintues depending on your oven.
Carefully remove and leave to cool slightly before serving, or alternatively leave to cool before freezing.
The Quirk and the Cool 