Asparagus Quiche

Wholemeal pastry

• 115g wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 25g butter or block margarine, cubed
• 25g white vegetable fat, cubed

Filling

• 80g asparagus tips
• 80g Gruyère cheese, grated
• 2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
• 250ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1/2tsp Dijon mustard
• freshly ground black pepper

Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl and rub in the butter or margarine and vegetable fat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of cold water and bring it together to form a ball of dough.

Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface, and use it to line a deep 20cm flan tin.

Prick the base with a fork and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6 and place a baking tray on the middle shelf.

Line the pastry case with a sheet of foil, greaseproof paper or non-stick baking parchment and fill with baking beans.

Bake blind for 15 minutes.

Remove the lining and beans and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the asparagus tips for 2 minutes.

Drain and plunge them into cold water to stop them from cooking.

Remove the pastry case from the oven and reduce the temperature to 190C/Gas Mark 5.

Scatter the grated cheese over the base of the pastry case.

Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, milk and mustard and season with black pepper.

Pour the mixture over the cheese. Drain the asparagus and arrange the tips on top.

Return the quiche to the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, until puffy and golden.

Serve warm or cold. Excellent for a summer picnic with a side salad.

Tips

If you have more asparagus to hand than is needed you could use the longer stalks and thicker pieces to make a tasty soup or dip. These stalks can be frozen for later use.

If you are serving this quiche to vegetarians ensure that the cheese, as well as the white fat used in the pastry, are made from vegetarian sources.