Spring Vegetable Quiche

This quiche tastes like spring - which has finally arrived in this part of the country as well :) You can literally use any vegetables you like, I used sweetcorn, courgettes and carrots, but I have tried versions with spinach and mushrooms or other combinations before and I can tell you - they're absolutely fab!

Ingredients for a tin of 11 inches

For the shortcrust pastry:

175 g of flour (I used 100 g of plain flour and 75 g of wholegrain flour)

85 g of cold butter

2 tablespoons of cold water

For the filling:

2 small carrots or 1 big one

half of a medium sized courgette

a tin of sweetcorn

300 ml of crème fraîche

4 eggs

salt and pepper

selection of herbs (for example oregano, thyme and rosemary)

a little bit of cheddar to grate on top

Start off by making the shortcrust pastry: cut the butter into small pieces and mix them in a bowl with the flour. Knead both together and bind the mixture with the water. Form a ball and wrap it in clingfilm, leave to rest in the fridge for about half an hour. In the meantime, prepare the filling and preheat the oven. Peel the carrots. Grate the carrots and the courgette and mix both with the sweetcorn. In a measuring jug, whisk together the crème fraîche and the eggs and season with salt and pepper and the herbs. Depending on which vegetables you choose, choose herbs accordingly - for a mediterranean flavour try oregano, basil and thyme for example, or use herbes de Provence or any Italian herb seasoning. Grate the cheese.

Now roll out the pastry thinly and place it in your tin. Trim the edges using your rolling pin (you can add the rest of the pastry to the edges to make them firm). Blindbake in the oven for at least 15 minutes, otherwise your base will become soggy. (Stab the base with a fork numerous times or place a sheet of baking paper and some dried beans or rice on top) Then spread the filling evenly and pour the crème fraîche-egg mixture on top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake for 40 minutes. 

Let the quiche cool a little in the tin before you serve it with some salad and sour cream and chive dip, for example. Enjoy :)