Squash & Sage Quiche

Winter doesn’t have to be all doom, gloom & every shade of grey. Well, except for the weather that is, I have no control over that, but I do have control in my own kitchen & if there’s ever a need to add a bit fo colour & brightness to it, then it would be winter. In terms of fresh colourful fruit & veg, there’s not an awful lot fo choose from in the winter besides the regulars (carrots, parsnips, sprouts etc.) but thankfully, a lot of the late summer & autumn harvest has a long enough shelf life to see us through (this is my response whenever someone asks me why I grow so many onions!).

Squash & Sage Quiche

The best of these storage heroes though would have to be squash & pumpkin, lasting anywhere up to around 3 months in the pantry. Tender, sweet & full of colour, this is just what I need to bring a bit of joy back to the kitchen right now. You can pretty much pair squash with anything, but a particular favourite of mine is sage, another kitchen garden hero as it can be harvested all year round. A truly delicious pairing, whether they’re simply roasted together, tossed through some pasta or in a risotto or as I’ve used them here, in a gorgeous squash & sage quiche. This melt in your mouth quiche is full of tender roasted squash, pungent crispy sage, sweet nutty Comte cheese & a buttery pastry case. This is a great vegetarian dish if you’re looking to cut down on meat & looks impressive enough to crack out at a gathering.

SQUASH & SAGE QUICHE
(makes one 22cm tart)

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

  • 250g plain flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 120g butter, cubed
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1-2 tbsp cold water

For the filling:

  • 300g butternut squash or pumpkin (roughly a small squash)
  • 15g fresh sage leaves
  • 300ml double cream
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 100ml milk
  • 150g comte cheese, grated

Method:

For the pastry:

  • To make the pastry sift together the flour & salt into a large bowl
  • Add in the cubed butter & use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
  • Next, add the egg yolk to the bowl & stir this through
  • Then add the water to the bowl 1 tbsp at a time until, using just enough to bring the dough together
  • Shape the dough into a flattened disc, wrap in cling film & leave in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes
  • Once the pastry has chilled, roll out to approximately 3mm thick and use it to line the base & sides of a 23cm tart tin, leave any excess to hang over the edge of the tin
  • Use a fork to pierce holes in the bottom of the pastry case before lining with baking parchment & fill this with baking beans
  • Place the tart case back in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes
  • Once chilled, blind bake the pastry case for 15 minutes at 180°C
  • Remove the baking beans & parchment & return the case to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until it starts to turn golden
  • Remove the case from the oven & whilst still warm, use a sharp knife to trim away off any excess pastry before setting aside to cool

For the filling:

  • To make the filling, begin by preparing the squash. Peel the squash, cut in half & remove the seeds before chopping half of the squash into cubed chunks & the other into strips (approx 1 inch in thickness)
  • Place the squash onto a baking tray, drizzle over some olive oil & season before roasting in the oven for 15-20 minutes until tender but still holding its shape, remove & set aside to cool
  • Next, set aside a few of the sage leaves for later & roughly chop the rest
  • Heat a knob of butter in a frying pan until beginning to sizzle then add the sage leaves & fry for 1 minute, set aside
  • Whilst everything is cooling, make the base of your quiche. In a large jug or bowl, combine the double cream, eggs, nutmeg, milk & grated cheese & whisk until smooth
  • Add the fried sage leaves, along with any remaining butter in the pan to the base mixture
  • Add the cubed chunks of squash to the mixture & stir everything together
  • Carefully pour the filling into the pastry case
  • Finally, add the sliced squash on top of the quiche, along with the reserved sage leaves
  • Bake the quiche at 170C for 25-30 minutes, until the filling is starting to colour along the edges & the quiche is just set in the middle (give it a shake to test, it should have a nice wobble to it)
  • Allow the quiche to cool completely before removing from the tin & serving

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