Walnut Pastry Gruyère Spinach Bacon Quiche
Deep-dish quiche lined with buttery walnut pastry and filled with crispy bacon, wilted spinach, caramelised onion, and a custardy egg and Gruyère filling. The nuttiness of the crust complements the savoury cheese and smoky bacon perfectly. Blind-baked pastry ensures a crisp base.
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz bacon lardonspancetta1:1cured_meat
similar smoky flavour
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 11 oz baby leaf spinach
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 2 free-range egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 5 ½ oz Gruyère, gratedEmmental1:1dairy
similar flavour and melting quality
- fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 3 ½ oz shelled walnuts, whizzed in a food processor until fine
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 14 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
- 1 medium free-range egg yolk
- 3 tbsp ice-cold water
Instructions
- 1
Combine flour, walnuts and salt in a food processor and pulse. Add chilled butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- 2
Add egg yolk and pulse, gradually adding ice-cold water until the mixture just comes together.
- 3
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, bring together with your hands and knead briefly. Shape into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 15 minutes.
- 4
Preheat the oven to 400°F/fan 350°F/gas 6. Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin and use to line a 9" loose-bottomed sandwich tin. Chill for 10 minutes.
- 5
Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans or rice, then blind-bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, then bake for 5-10 minutes more until golden. Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 350°F/fan 325°F/gas 4.
- 6
Fry the bacon in a frying pan over a medium heat until crispy, then transfer onto kitchen paper. Fry the onion in the bacon fat until golden and soft, then add the spinach and allow to wilt. Transfer to a sieve and drain, extracting as much liquid as you can.
- 7
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, cream, Gruyère and parsley in a jug, then season.
- 8
Spoon the spinach and onion over the pastry base, scatter over the bacon, then top with the egg mixture. Bake for 50 minutes until golden.
- 9
Remove from the oven and take out of the tin. Put on a wire rack to cool a little. While still warm, return to the tin and wrap in foil.
Tips
Drain the spinach thoroughly after wilting to prevent a soggy quiche base.
Keep all pastry ingredients cold for the best texture and flakiness.
Blind-baking the pastry ensures a crisp base that won't become soggy from the egg filling.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a low oven.
Pastry dough can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Blind-baked pastry case can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Pairs well with a crisp green salad and white wine.
Common Mistakes
Use chilled butter to avoid a tough, greasy pastry.
Do not skip draining the spinach to avoid a soggy filling.
Do not overbake the pastry during blind-baking to prevent excessive browning before the filling is added.
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
similar flavour and melting quality