When I was very young, my parents upped sticks and we all moved to Africa. It was a bold move for a family of nine to uproot from rural Ireland in the late 1980s. Zimbabwe was a total culture shock for myself and my siblings but to this day we still have that move to thank for so many things.
For me it brought a whole new world of tastes, sights and smells. It was a feast for the senses. Back home we had chickens and beehives in the back garden, but in Zimbabwe we had a swimming pool and an avocado tree. After-school snacks were no longer cream crackers with warm cocoa, instead we all sat on the grass in our bare feet eating dried kapenta from a plastic bag. You could buy big bags of kapenta, also known as Tanganyika sardines, that had been salted and dried in the sun. We ate them like crisps and they’re a valuable source of protein and minerals.
It was here that I first tasted what I believe to be the perfect quiche. My mother enrolled in a Le Cordon Bleu night course and she came home with a folder full of classic French recipes each week, including soufflés, madeleines, macarons and vol-au-vents. She was already a fantastic cook, she makes the lightest pastry and loves to bake, so there were many new dishes being made.
One of the first was a traditional quiche Lorraine, made with cream, cheese and ham. It is pure indulgence all set in an egg custard over buttery pastry. The smokiness of ham is so good with eggs, but smoked salmon and trout work well too.
Another quiche that I love is a recipe from Ballymaloe. It includes crab meat, finely diced tomatoes and ginger. It’s the most delicate, elegant flavour with just the right amount of ginger. Definitely one for summer picnics, as quiche is ideal for eating outside with a salad.
Feel free to skip a step here and buy ready-made pastry but using real butter makes a big difference and will give you a crisp, light pastry once baked.
QUICHE LORRAINE
Serves six
Ingredients
For the pastry
300g plain flour
160g butter
70ml ice-cold water
For the quiche
225g bacon lardons
250ml milk
120ml cream
3 eggs
120g grated Gruyère cheese (or cheddar)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp finely-snipped chives
Method
1. First make the pastry. Place the flour and butter into the bowl of a food processor and pulse. Add the water and mix till a dough forms.
2. Flatten the pastry into a disc and roll out to fit a 30cm tart tin. Lay the pastry into the tin, gently pressing it into the corners. Place a sheet of tinfoil on top and press the foil into the corners too. I use this method to bake pastry blind, but you can use parchment paper and baking beans too. Leave the pastry to rest in the fridge for 15-30 minutes.
3. Bake the pastry shell at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
4. Fry the bacon lardons over a high heat until golden and crispy. Set aside to cool.
5. Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, pepper and cheese together. Scatter the bacon over the base of the quiche then over the egg mix. Scatter with half the chives and bake for 30 minutes, until the egg is puffed up and almost set.
6. Scatter with the remaining chives. Eat warm or at room temperature with salads.
