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UNEGGY CREAMY LEEK & BACON QUICHE WITH BLUE CHEESE

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Serves: 4-6

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What does this mean?

This sounds like quite a heavy quiche but it actually isn't - it's a full flavoured creamy leeky cheesey pie without the eggy taste! You can uses whatever cheeses you want but stick to something with a kick!

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Ingredients

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For the pastry

  • 110 grams plain flour
  • 25 grams lard (chilled - or just use 50g of butter, the lard just makes the pastry nice and crispy)
  • 25 grams butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or more, chopped)
  • 50 grams Parmesan cheese (grated, optional)

For the filling

  • 25 grams butter (about)
  • 300 grams smokey bacon (chopped)
  • 1 large leek (chopped and washed)
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 1 clove garlic (large, crushed)
  • 150 grams blue cheese (a wedge, choose the strength according to taste - I use Danish Blue)
  • 100 grams Parmesan cheese (grated, split into two lots of 50g)
  • 50 grams mature Cheddar (grated - or Gruyere or whatever cheese you want really, but one with a kick)
  • 500 ml double cream
  • 2 egg yolks
  • salt
  • black pepper (freshly ground)
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional, but recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs (optional, but recommended)

Method

  1. To make the pastry:
  2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
  3. Chop the butter and the lard into small cubes, and add to the flour.
  4. Rub the butter & lard into the flour until the fat is evenly distributed with the flour and looks like biscuit crumbs. Stir in the thyme, and the parmesan if you're using it.
  5. Add the egg yolk and using your hands bring it all together into a ball. It should come together quite easily and there shouldn't be any loose bits on the side of the bowl.
  6. The ball should be a little squidgy but still firm. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm/wrap, and rest in the fridge for half an hour.
  7. Preheat oven to about 180ºC.
  8. For the filling: Heat the butter and fry the bacon for about 7 minutes till it is almost cooked. Don't overcook it.
  9. Add the leek, onion and garlic to the bacon and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until everything is really soft, cooked and completely mixed in.
  10. Crumble the blue cheese and sprinkle it over the bacon and leek mixture into the frying pan and stir it for a minute or two, making sure it doesn't stick, until the cheese has melted. If it sticks, stir in a bit of the cream to unstick it. (if you can’t resist and have to taste the mixture at this stage it may taste a bit strong, but it will mellow out later).
  11. Set aside.
  12. In a separate bowl: pour in the cream and mix in one lot of the parmesan cheese (50g), plus the grated cheddar/gruyere/fontina, the two egg yolks, the cream, and some salt & pepper.
  13. Mix until it is all really well combined - the consistency should be like a lumpy McDonalds thickshake but definitely not too runny.
  14. To assemble: Unwrap the pastry onto a floured surface and roll it out evenly, turning every few rolls.
  15. Line your quiche dish (I use a 23cm deep Pyrex glass dish) with the pastry and press it down firmly.
  16. Prick all over the base and sides of the pastry case with a fork and then if you want spread a teaspoon or so of French Dijon mustard over it. There should be no need to blind bake this, so spread the bacon/leek/onion/garlic mixture evenly over the base. Pour over the cream/cheese mixture.
  17. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 50g of parmesan cheese and then the dried breadcrumbs if you're using them
  18. Bake for about half an hour or until the top is golden brown. If the top is cooked but the pastry isn't, place a piece of foil over the dish and continue cooking.
  19. Let it cool for about 15 minutes before slicing into it, serve with a green salad/balsamic vinegar.
  20. This matures overnight as well so it is even better the next day!

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