Best enjoyed outside in the garden.
In the heat of Summer I love to go out into the garden and forage for edible flowers and vegetables to use in salads, quiches and cordials. The fragrant scents and vibrant colours add exciting flavour notes and interest to otherwise ordinary dishes.
When Natures Garden invited this collaboration, I felt inspired to create a garden pea quiche recipe. For the quiche filling, I used Natures Garden garden peas, a caramelised red onion, sage infused Derby cheese, and Feta cheese with a macadamia nut short crust – and borage flowers.
Serves 5
INGREDIENTS
SHORTCRUST
1/3 cup macadamia nut flour
1/3 cup cold salted butter
1 + 1/3 cups cake flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
FILLING
2 cups Natures Garden Peas
1/3 cup sage infused Derby cheese (Can be substituted with Gruyere)
2 tbsp Feta cheese, crumbled and used to sprinkle on top the uncooked quiche
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 large red onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp salted butter
pinch Kosher salt and black pepper
METHOD
Use a food processor to blend together the macadamia nut flour, cake flour, sugar and butter until mixture resembles a course texture. Add egg yolk and blend until it is combined, still maintaining the course texture.
Grease an 11-inch tart pan (with a removable bottom) with butter and press the dough in the bottom and up the side of the pan. Chill crust for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Once dough crust is chilled, preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Blind bake the pastry crust for 20 minutes, remove from the heat to check the colouring and then bake again for 10 minutes until light golden. Set aside and allow it to cool down.
Finely slice the red onion and caramelise it in a pan with butter. Once caramelised, set aside and allow to cool.
Whisk together the eggs and the milk. Layer the caramelised onions into the hollow of the quiche crust, sprinkle the sage infused Derby cheese over the onions, and then pour the peas over the cheese.
If you would like the crust to be golden, dip a basting brush into the whisked egg and milk mixture and brush it along the quiche crust edge.
Pour the egg and milk mixture over the onions, peas and Derby cheese, season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the Feta cheese on top to finish it off.
Bake for about 35 to 40 mins until the crust is golden brown and the filling is set. Allow to cool down and then decorate with foraged borage flowers just before serving.
Accompany garden pea quiche with a fresh garden pea and rocket leaf salad, with a drizzle of olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Best enjoyed outside – in the garden!
IMPORTANT: Please always make sure that you have the correct information about anything foraged for by yourself – and know what you are eating.
