Quiche - Dish of the Summer
Thanks to King Charles III's Coronation Quiche, the classic savoury tart is having a revival. Perfect for picnics, al fresco dining and tasty lunches, the quiche is not just the dish of the day to mark the Coronation, but set to become the dish of the summer! Here’s a version perfect for a Hampshire celebration as it features two local ingredients: smoked trout and watercress. Butler Country Estates found this delicious recipe on the Countryfile website. Reproduced with thanks to Countryfile.
Serves 6
Ingredients
250g Shortcrust pastry (a delicious ready-made shortcrust pastry is available from MADK – described as ‘unbelievably gluten-free’)
1 tbsp olive oil or local rapeseed oil such as The Cold Pressed Oil Company's
1 onion, finely chopped
110g watercress, roughly chopped (available locally from Alre Watercress and West Lea Farm Shop as featured on James Martin ITV show)
2 tbsp horseradish sauce
3 large local free range eggs
200g crème fraiche
2 smoked trout fillets from Butler Country Estates, roughly flaked
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
Lightly dust the worktop with flour and roll out the pastry to about 3-4mm thick, to fit a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Using the rolling pin to lift the pastry, gently line the tin, pressing well into the corners, but trying not to stretch it too much. Cut off the excess.
Line with baking paper and baking beans, and ‘blind bake’ (without a filling) for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for a further five minutes.
For the filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan and very gently sweat the onion until it’s soft, about 15-20 minutes. Add the watercress and cook for a few minutes. As soon as it has wilted, turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, creme fraiche and horseradish. Season with flaky sea salt and ground black pepper. Spread the sauce over the base of the pastry case, then spoon in the watercress mixture. Scatter the trout over the top.
Butler Country Estates recently introduced cold smoked trout to their online shop. This is typically smoked at a temperature between 20-30 degrees C for 12-24 hours with the smoke infusing the fish with flavour and preserving it. Cold smoked trout usually has a more delicate and softer texture than hot-smoked trout which is smoked at a higher temperature, around 82-93 degrees C with the heat cooking the fish as it is smoked creating a flakier and firmer texture with a more intense smoky flavour.