Friday, 12 December 2014

Mini Quiches

I've used this recipe to make mini ones, baked in a muffin pan. LOVED it!! The crust should be sufficient for ±24 tartlets while each of the fillings only make 12.

Savoury crust:
250ml cake flour
1ml salt
2.5ml baking powder
80ml butter or margarine (room temperature)
125ml finely grated cheese (optional)
1 egg
few drops of water if necessary

Place all the ingredients for the crust in a bowl and mix until evenly combined to form a soft pastry.
Grease a muffin pans with margarine and press the pastry evenly into the dish, thinning it out in the corners and shaping with the fingertips to make a neat edge.
Refrigerate.

or

Tartlet Pastry
500ml cake flour
15ml baking powder
3ml salt
280ml butter or margarine
25ml blended white vinegar (750ml spirit vinegar, 750ml grape vinegar, 250ml water)
2 eggs
additional cake flour for rolling out

Rub the butter into the dry ingredients and add the vinegar and eggs, beaten together. Mix unto the dough holds. Knead until smooth. Add a little additional flour if the dough is too soft. Press the dough into a ball, cover and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Filling:
30ml butter or margarine
50ml cake flour
250ml milk
1 egg
seasoning to taste
variable ingredients (See different ones below)

Melt together the butter or margarine and flour over a moderate heat and add the milk and egg mixture. Beat with a whisk until a smooth, thick sauce is obtained. Remove from heat. 
Beat the egg. 
Return to the saucepan.
Stir in the Variable ingredients, season to taste and set aside to cool.

Variable ingredient 1: Spinach tartlets
200ml finely chopped fresh raw spinach
125ml (50g) finely diced feta, emmenthal, mozzarella, cheddar or similar cheese (I prefer Feta)
30ml chopped spring onion or onion
75ml coarsely chopped ham or chopped cooked bacon or sliced sauteed mushrooms (optional)
salt and black pepper

Stir-fry the spinach in the oil and butter or margarine until almost dry. Add the spring onion and stir-fry for a further few minutes. Allow to cool.
Add diced cheese, optional ingredients if used and seasoning to taste. 

Variable ingredient 2: Mushroom tartlets
250ml sliced mushrooms
50ml chopped onion
10ml butter or margarine
1ml dried origanum
15ml white wine

Saute the mushrooms and onion in the butter or margarine until just tender. add the origanum and wine and simmer for a few minutes.

Assembling and baking the tartlets:

Divide the filling between the lined cups, sprinkle with the seasoning specified for each variation and bake at 180deg C for about ±20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling becomes fully and firm. Serve hot, warm, at room temperate or cold.

Other variations could include Vegetable tartlets, cheese tartlets, tuna or asparagus tartlets... go crazy





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