This recipe is for my oldest daughter who made it at school and then left it in the library. Its a really mellow flavourful cheddar cheese and onion tart (or quiche if you prefer) and has cheap, basic ingredients. Slow cook the onions in butter to start, then add to a pastry tart with eggs and a bit of cream, yoghurt or milk depending on what is in your fridge. Slice some cheddar cheese on top, bake on low for 30 minutes and you have a great tart that can be eaten hot out of the oven or cold for lunches.
Ingredients
Onions – 4 or 5 finely sliced
Butter – a tablespoon or so
Olive oil – a tablespoon
1 sheet of ready made short crust pastry
6 eggs
Splash of milk, cream, creme fraiche or yoghurt
Black pepper to season
100g of cheddar cheese slices thinly or grated
Method
Using a medium sized pie tin or flan tin, roll out the pastry thin enough to cover the base and sides. Leave as much overlap as you like to deal with any shrinkage. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes if you have time. I generally don’t have time so I pre heat the oven to 180c and then line the pastry with baking paper, weight is down with baking beans and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and then turn the heat down to 160c. Carefully scrape off the baking beans and peel off the baking paper. Put the pastry case back in the oven for 10 minutes. This is just to dry out the bottom. When the timer goes off, remove from the oven and prepare to fill. Keep the oven on as you’re going to put the filled tart back in.
Slice the onions finely, add to a saucepan with a tablespoon of butter and the same again of olive oil. Put a lid on and on a very low heat cook for 30 minutes or longer stirring occasionally to prevent any sticking or burning. Crack the eggs into a jug and whisk with a fork, Add some black pepper and a dollop of ceam/milk/creme fraiche whatever is in the fridge.
Build the cheddar cheese and onion tart. Place the onions on the pastry case and spread out evenly. Add the eggs. You may need more or less depending on the size of the tin. Sprinkle the cheese on top and return to the oven. Handy hint – I cook quiches by placing the flan tin on a baking tray as that gives more stability to manouvering in the oven and prevents spillage. Bake for 20 minutes and then check to see if the filling has set. There should not be any liquid. Give it another 10 minutes if its too wobbly.
When done, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Eat warm or cold. I love this quiche cold as the cheese solidifies but then again, I also like cold pizza.
If you like this recipe, you might like my cottage pie recipe: https://cookingwithfi.com/cottage-pie-family-favourite-recipe/