Name: Goat's Cheese and Tomato Quiche
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 1 large quiche or about 8 individual tartlets
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 150 g butter, cold and cubed; 280 g plain flour; ½ tsp fine salt; 4–6 tbsp ice-cold water; 2 onions (1 large is enough); 1–2 tbsp vegetable oil; 16 cherry tomatoes on the vine; 1 tbsp olive oil; 180 g goat's cheese; 200 ml double cream; 100 ml milk; 5 eggs; Salt and black pepper, to taste

A proper lunch quiche: slow onions, sweet roast tomatoes, and tangy goat’s cheese in a buttery shortcrust. I make this with full dairy — it is not one of our household allergy swaps.

Make one large quiche or smaller tartlets. The individual ones freeze well and reheat in the oven for an easy lunch. I always make a bit of extra pastry; leftover dough is perfect for jam tarts.

Equipment required

Food processor (or make pastry by hand)
Flan or tart tin — 1 large (about 23–25 cm) or 8 individual tins
Baking beads or dried beans (for blind baking)
Weighing scales
Saucepan with lid
Baking tray
Chopping board and sharp knife
Measuring jug
Whisk
Measuring teaspoon

Ingredients

For the pastry

150 g butter, cold and cubed
280 g plain flour
½ tsp fine salt
4–6 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling

2 onions (1 large is enough)
1–2 tbsp vegetable oil
16 cherry tomatoes on the vine
1 tbsp olive oil
180 g goat’s cheese
200 ml double cream
100 ml milk
5 eggs
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Make the shortcrust pastry: put 280 g plain flour, ½ tsp salt, and 150 g cold butter in a food processor. Pulse about 10 times until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.
Add 4–6 tbsp ice-cold water a splash at a time and blitz briefly until the dough just comes together — 10–20 seconds. Add a little more water only if it looks too dry. You want the minimum needed to bind it.
Tip out, shape into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 200°C.
While the pastry chills, thinly slice 2 onions (or 1 large). Cook in a saucepan on a low heat with 1–2 tbsp vegetable oil and the lid on for 25–30 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft, lightly golden, and sticky.
Put 16 cherry tomatoes on the vine on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 20 minutes until softened and starting to colour.
Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface and line your tin(s). Trim the edges and prick the base lightly with a fork.
Line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beads. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and beads and bake for another 5 minutes until the base looks dry.
Whisk together 5 eggs, 200 ml double cream, 100 ml milk, plus salt and black pepper in a jug.
Crumble 180 g goat’s cheese into the pastry case(s). Scatter over the cooked onions and roast tomatoes, then pour over the egg mixture until the cases are nearly full.
Turn the oven down to 160°C. Bake a large quiche for 45 minutes or individual tartlets for 25 minutes, until the filling is set with only a slight wobble in the centre.
Cool for 10 minutes in the tin(s) before slicing or removing. Serve warm, or cool completely before freezing individual tartlets.

Tips & notes

Full dairy: this recipe uses butter, cream, milk, and goat’s cheese as written. It is for me, not our usual lactose-free table.
Pastry: add water gradually. Too much makes tough pastry; you only want enough to bring the dough together. These quantities are plenty for one large tin or eight individual tartlets, with a little left over.
Extra pastry: roll scraps, cut rounds, fill with jam, and bake as mini tarts.
Tomatoes: roasting them first stops the quiche going soggy.
Freezing: cool tartlets completely, then freeze in a container. Reheat from frozen at 180°C fan for about 10 minutes until hot through.

Goat's Cheese and Tomato Quiche