Salmon and Asparagus Quiche with a Spelt Crust
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 100g (⅚ cup) wholemeal spelt (see note 1)
- 80g (⅔ cup) white spelt (see note 1)
- 80g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) butter (cold and chopped into chunks)
- 1 tsp salt
- water (as much as needed)
Filling:
- 1 tbs butter
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 red onion (medium-sized)
- 1 tsp minced garlic (see note 2)
- asparagus (6-8 stalks)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 2 eggs (medium-sized)
- 250ml (1 cup) cream
- 100ml (¼ cup + 3 tbsp) milk
- black pepper
- 100g (3½ oz) gravad lax (see note 3)
- mozzarella (a touch for sprinkling).
Instructions
Pastry:
- Add the flour, butter and salt to a stand-mixer (see note 4).
- Work the ingredients together until you are left with a coarse breadcrumb texture. It is okay if you have larger chunks of butter remaining.
- Add one tablespoon of cold water. Allow it to combine with the dry ingredients, and very gradually add more as necessary. I usually need to use 3-4 tablespoons, but it can vary, depending on the flour used.
- The dough is ready when it pulls together and has a very slight tackiness to it.
- Form into a rough ball, cover with clingfilm, and place in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190℃ / 375℉.
- When ready, roll out the pastry into a rough circle, and place in an oven dish (see note 5). Trim any edges.
- Cover with baking paper and line with rice or dried beans. Spread them out towards the edges, as this will hold the pastry in shape (see note 6).
- Bake for ten minutes.
- Take out of the oven, and remove the baking paper and rice/beans.
- Turn the oven down to 175℃ / 350℉ and place the pie crust back in the oven to bake for a further five minutes.
Filling:
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan.
- Slice the red onion, and fry for a few minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Add the asparagus and cook for just a couple of minutes, until their colour becomes just a touch darker.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the ingredients from the pan and place on a paper towel. Allow them to cool a little.
Assembly:
- When the crust is ready, add an even layer of the onions to the bottom.
- Arrange the asparagus over the top.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk.
- Pour the liquid over the onions and asparagus.
- Tear the salmon into strips and place it in any spaces between the asparagus stalks. Push some down under the liquid's surface a little.
- Give a generous sprinkling of black pepper, and finally, a little mozzarella (if using).
- Bake for 40 minutes. The quiche is ready when the top feels fairly firm to the touch, and it is no longer jiggling. Leave for around 10 minutes and then eat warm. Enjoy!
Notes
I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made this recipe with imperial measurements.
- You don't need to use spelt flour. Regular, or even gluten free, can be used as a replacement (totalling 180g - 1½ cups). You can also adapt the ratio of white/wholemeal flour.
- I use ready minced garlic. If this is not available to you, crush two cloves instead.
- See my main post for more information. I used thinly sliced cured salmon, but you could use ready cooked salmon (leftovers, for example).
- If you prefer, you can use the rub-in method to prepare your crust.
- My pie dish is 27cm in diameter, with a depth of 3cm / 1¼". The filling reached about ¾ of the way up the inside of the crust before being baked.
- It is always advised to blind bake a crust that is going to have a wet filling. If you are not familiar with the process, there is a link in the main post. I use rice to blind bake, but you can use dried beans or even specially made blind baking beans.
