Tomato and goat cheese quiche

Quiche is often underrated and overlooked as a dish and most of us often tend to buy it ready made from the supermarket! But as most things in baking, making your own quiche is very rewarding and the results are definitely worth the effort. Since we are almost at the end of the summer I wanted to make a quiche that is lighter than most but still decadent. The base of the quiche is super flaky and is my go to base for any quiche recipe. The filling is lighter than normally with the addition of yoghurt, cream cheese and goat cheese instead of heavy cream. The quiche is topped with fresh cherry tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic for a taste straight from the Mediterranean. I am pretty sad that summer is almost over but let’s celebrate the seasonal produce while we still can!

Ingredients for the tomato and goat’s cheese quiche

• Bread flour: Because of its gluten content and the way it absorbs water, bread flour gives us a better and more consistent result.
• Butter: Use high quality butter if you can as there is a lot of it going into the quiche base. The butter needs to be very cold to prevent the dough from getting too soft and sticky.
• Salt: I tend to add salt in the quiche base for both sweet and savoury fillings.
• Ice cold water: You might think that this is too much effort but it is very important to use ice cold water for the base as it will prevent the dough from getting too soft and possibly shrinking during baking.
• Garlic: One clove is enough to give the filling a bit of attitude. There is no need to mince it as the food processor will do the job for you.
• Dijon mustard: I like adding mustard to most of my savoury quiche fillings for a bit of a kick. You can also use wholegrain mustard.
• Grated parmesan: I like using parmesan because of its mature and salty flavour. Pecorino is also a great alternative.
• Eggs: Since quiche basically translates to egg pie the addition of eggs is pretty inevitable! Two eggs will give creaminess and they will also help the filling set while cooling.
• Whole milk: You can also use semi skimmed if you prefer they both work great.
• Goat cheese: Wonderfully creamy and tangy, it is the perfect addition to any quiche filling.
• Cream cheese: Cream cheese is so beautifully creamy and decadent. You can also use the lighter alternative if you prefer.
• Greek yogurt: You didn’t think I would make a savoury dish without yogurt did you?! The yogurt will break through the richness of the various cheeses and add a wonderful tanginess.
• Salt: I personally like mentioning exactly how much salt goes into anything baked like bread, quiche filling etc as you cannot add it after it is baked. For the filling I added 8g which is neither salty or under seasoned for my personal taste. To season the tomatoes I added a big pinch but you can taste them to decide how much you want to add.
• Pepper: I am slightly obsessed with pepper so I thought for your own good to not mention how much I added! A big pinch for the filling and a small one for the tomatoes is ideal.
• Cherry tomatoes: I used around 400g of cherry tomatoes but you can use more and serve them on the side because really you can never have too many tomatoes. Use the rainbow variety if you can to make your quiche look extra beautiful.
• Olive oil: I have said this and I will say it till my last day in this world ‘Greek olive is the best’. For any salads or dressings use the best quality you can to get the maximum raw flavour of the oil.
• Balsamic vinegar: I love the combination of sweet and sour that you get from the balsamic vinegar and drizzled on tomatoes is really a match made in heaven.
• Dried oregano: Again not that I am biased or anything but Greek oregano is my favourite and it complements the tomatoes so well.
• Fresh basil: I am obsessed with fresh basil and frankly tomatoes and basil is an all time classic combination. You can also use fresh mint leaves instead!

For the all purpose pie crust (makes 1x 10 inch tart ring, serves 10-12 people)

• 250g bread flour
• 200g butter, cubed and chilled
• 4g salt
• 55g ice cold water

For the goat cheese filling

• 1 garlic clove sliced
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 60g grated parmesan
• 2 eggs
• 60g milk
• 150g goat cheese
• 400g cream cheese
• 50g Greek yoghurt
• 8g salt
• Pinch of pepper 

For assembling

• 400g cherry tomatoes
• SaltPepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Fresh basil

How to make the all purpose pie crust

1. Place flour, salt and cubes of butter in a bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl of ingredients and even the paddle attachment in the refrigerator until cold. You want to keep all ingredients as cool as possible throughout the process.
2. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low until you get coarse crumbs.
3. Add iced water and mix just until the dough comes together smoothly, about one minute. (You can go a bit further if necessary as you want the dough as smooth as possible.)
4. Remove from the mixing bowl and form into a ball.
5. Press the ball into a round disc.
6. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for at least 4 hours*
7. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a non stick mat or on a floured surface until about 3mm thick.
8. Place it on the loose bottomed flan tin, using your knuckles to ease the pastry into the sides.
9. Do not trim any excess pastry edges as it is better to trim them with a serrated knife after it is fully baked. Also if the pastry shrinks it shouldn’t now go below the level of the tin.
10. Refrigerate uncovered for at least one hour. Overnight is best. If you do that, cover in cling film after one hour, once the dough has completely hardened.
11. Preheat the oven at 200°C fan.
12. After chilling, line the base with aluminium foil and place just enough baking beans or dry beans to cover the base and the sides.
13. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.
14. Remove the weights; brush the base with one egg yolk and bake for a further 10 minutes until the crust is crispy and flaky.
15. After the crust has completely cool down trim the edges carefully using a serrated knife.

How to make the goat cheese filling 

1. Turn the oven down to 180°C set to fan.
2. In a food processor add garlic slices, mustard, parmesan, eggs, yogurt, milk, the goat’s cheese, cream cheese, salt, pepper and process well until the mixture is smooth and homogenised.
3. Pour the filling over the tart crust, spread it evenly using a cranked palette knife and bake for 30 minutes or until almost set.
4. Remove and let it cool.

How to assemble the tomato and goat cheese quiche

1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a bowl.
2. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano and mix with a spoon.
3. Spread the cherry tomatoes on top of the tart and scatter a few basil leaves on the top.
4. The quiche is best served the same day, but it keeps in the fridge for a further 2 days.
5. Enjoy 🙂

Notes

• If you don’t fancy making your own quiche base simply follow the same steps with the shop bought one!
• I know you are thinking that 4 hours is too long but hear me out! Chilling the dough allows time for the gluten strands in the flour to relax, which makes the dough easier to work with and keeps it from shrinking while baking.
• Make sure to wait until the pie crust is completely cool before adding the filling or you could end up with a soggy bottom!( had to use Mary Berry’s quote at some point!)

Meringue kisses,
Athina xx