Mini Quiches

We were invited for a picnic yesterday, and were each asked to bring a plate.

Inspired by Julia Child's Quiche Lorraine, I decided to bake a mini version for the kids! And because it's only cream, eggs, and bacon, I thought it would be healthier if there's some veges in it as well.
These were served cold. The children, or rather, the parents gobbled most of it down. We had a lovely time!

 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C thickened cream
3 eggs
3 slices of bacon , cut into little squares, simmer in water for 5 minutes and browned slightly in skillet.
One onion, diced finely
Handful of diced pumpkin, roasted with olive oil
Handful of spinach
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of pepper
1 T butter, diced finely
1 T butter, for cooking
Puff pastry x 3, cut into 4 rounds per sheet

1. Preheat oven to 200c. Butter the inside of a 12 hole muffin pan and line with puff pastry rounds. Weigh it down with pie weights. Partially bake the the puff pastry for 8-9 minutes.
2. Turn oven down to 190c.
3.  Press bacon pieces into bottom of pastry shell.
4. Cook the onions in butter. Add spinach and stir over moderate heat for several minutes to evaporate all its water. Stir in pumpkin, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and taste carefully for seasoning.
5. Beat the eggs and cream in a mixing bowl to blend. Gradually stir in the onion, spinach, pumpkin mixture. Check seasoning.
6. Pour into pastry shell and dot with diced butter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in oven. A knife plunged into the center should come out clean. It will stay puffed for 10 minutes in the turned off hot oven with door ajar. As it cools, it sinks down.

French Pear Tart (II)

Baked a pear tart for Good Friday. This time, I've arranged the pears the proper way. To quote Dorrie Greenspan: 'Thinly slice each pear half crosswise. Lift each half on a spatula, press down on the pear to fan it slightly and place it over the almond cream, wide end toward the edge of the crust. The 6 halves will form spokes'. (Although, I think I've sliced them abit too finely). Recipe here.

Hope you had a great Easter weekend x

French Pear Tart

This is a fool proof recipe for french pear tart by Dorie Greenspan (Baking from my home to yours). I've baked this a dozen times, and it always comes out perfect! The recipe is really detailed, Dorie's style, which is brilliant. Always bake the tart case earlier to avoid the mad rush during the day of serving (frozen tart base can be kept up to 2 months). I also like to make the almond cream several days in advance, so all I need to do is assemble the tart before a meal//party. This tart is delicious served with vanilla ice cream, and a cup of earl grey tea!

Partially baked tart base made with sweet tart dough
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 t salt
110g very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk

1. Put flour, icing sugar and salt in food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in - you should have some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas  Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in log pulses- about 10 seconds each - until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change - heads up! Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.
2. Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Using all but a little piece of dough, which you should save to patch any cracks after the crust is baked.
3. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.
4. Preheat oven to 190c.
5. Butter the shiny side of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust (Since the crust was frozen, you can bake it without weights). Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon and patch the crust if necessary. Let it cool completely (keep it in its pan).

Almond cream
Ingredients
3 canned whole pears, drained.
80g unsalted butter at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
2 t plain flour
1 t cornstarch
1 large egg
2 t dark rum or 1 t vanilla extract

1. Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and process until mixture is smooth and satiny. Add almond meal and process until well blended. Add the flour and cornstarch and process to blend, then add the egg. Process for 15 seconds more, or until almond cream is homogeneous. Add rum and process just to blend. You can either use the almond cream immedietly, or scrape it into a container and refrigerate it until firm, about 2 hours (can be frozen for up to 2 months).

Assembly
Ingredients
3 canned whole pears, drained.
icing sugar for dusting, or some jelly for glazing.
partially baked 9 inch tart base made with sweet tart dough, cooled

1. Preheat oven to 180c.
2. Fill the cooled partially baked crust with almond cream, spreading evenly with an offset metal icing spatula.
3. Thinly slice each pear and arrange it over the almond cream (I hadn't arranged it the traditional way)
4. Bake the tart for 50-60 minutes, or until almond cream puffs up around the pears and browns. Transfer to rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature before removing the sides of the pan.
5. Right before serving, dust the tart with icing sugar or warm jelly with water and brush this glaze over the surface of the tart.