Cheese and Red Onion Quiche

Super simple cheese and red onion quiche with crispy pastry and a creamy filling. Warming and hearty and packed full of flavour. You will LOVE how easy this is to prepare!

I love a good home-made quiche. I love eating them and I love making them. There is something so satisfying about combining a few simple ingredients and being rewarded with such a wholesome creation rising up all beautiful and golden in the oven. It’s kitchen alchemy.

A quiche, of course, is just a mix of eggs and cream baked in a pastry case, but there are endless ways they can be varied, and are great for making a filling meal out of odds and ends you find lurking in your fridge. I’m quite partial to a bit of smoked salmon added into mine, or a classic Quiche Lorraine. How about leek and bacon, ham and mushroom or goat’s cheese and red onion? Yum!

Today’s recipe is the product of me trying to use up some stuff in my fridge and freezer that had been hiding away there for too long. A pack of frozen ready prepared shortcrust pastry and a jar of red onion marmalade that somehow never made it onto the cheeseboard over the Christmas holidays just seemed to be calling out for me to make a quiche.

If you have never made a quiche before (and if not, I really urge you to have a go – so much nicer than shop-bought ones) keep in mind a few pointers:

• Ideally use a metal tart tin. (I have used a 10 inch tin here). They conduct heat so much better than ceramic dishes, and help your pastry to crisp and prevent your quiche developing the dreaded soggy bottom. The tins with a removable base are great and allow you get the quiche out more easily.
• Feel free to make your own shortcrust pastry if you have the time and inclination, but if you want to go the quick and easy route, opt for a pack of store-bought ready rolled pastry, which is generally very good.
• When you have lined the tart tin with the pastry, you must bake it ‘blind’, whch means baking it without the filling for a short time to help it set. To do this, place a piece of tin foil over the pastry base, and cover with some baking beans, (or use some dried beans, rice, etc.) to prevent the pastry bubbling up in the oven. About 15 minutes at 200°c (180°c fan oven) will do the trick.
• For the filling, I generally use this formula: For an 8 inch tin, I use about 300ml double cream and 2-3 eggs.  For a 9-10 inch tin, I use 350-400ml double cream and 3 eggs. If you prefer a firmer filling you can add another egg or two. You don’t need to be too precise with quantities here. Cream can be single or double, and you may even use a mixture of whole milk, yoghurt or crème fraîche instead.
• Almost any kind of cheese is delicious in a quiche! My favourites are gruyère, emmental, feta, goat’s cheese and cheddar.
• Some chopped herbs (like chives, for example) can be a lovely addition.
• The quiche will take about 30-40 minutes in a 180°c oven (160°c fan oven).
• Quiche is best eaten warm, not hot.

Go on – give it a go! It’s easier (and more fun) than you think 😉