Leek, comté and thyme quiche
- Published: 8 Nov 22
- Updated: 25 Mar 24
This rich comté and leek quiche might not seem like obvious freezer fodder, but it’s a wonderful thing to have in there over the festive period, says Georgina Hayden. “It can make up part of a party platter or just be something to have as and when. You can even freeze individual slices for between-meal snacks.”
You might also love our quick leek, kale and gruyere quiche for two.
Georgina Hayden is an award-winning food writer, cook and presenter. She developed a love of cooking while growing up above her parents’ Greek Cypriot taverna in London and is influenced by a love of family and her = Mediterranean heritage. Her latest cookbook is the Sunday Times Bestseller Nistisima. Follow her on Instagram @georginahayden
Ingredients
- 250g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 175g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 5 medium free-range eggs
- 3 leeks, trimmed and washed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 200ml single cream
- 75ml whole milk
- 125g comté cheese, coarsely grated (see tips)
- 50g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
You’ll also need
- 23cm round tart tin
Method
- Put the flour and 150g of the butter in a food processor and pulse until the mix resembles breadcrumbs (you can also do this with your fingers in a large mixing bowl). Crack in one of the eggs, add 2 tbsp cold water, then pulse or mix until it forms a ball of dough. Transfer to a floured surface, bring together, then roll out into a large circle, around 27cm in diameter and 0.5cm thick. Transfer to the tart tin and gently press it into the edges. Cut off any excess and prick the case all over with a fork. Put the pastry case in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
- While the pastry is chilling, finely slice the leeks and put in a large frying pan with the remaining 25g butter and the olive oil. Add the thyme leaves, season well and cook over a low-medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and sticky. Add a splash of water while cooking if the leeks are catching. Leave to cool.
- When ready to bake the tart, heat the oven to 180°C fan/ gas 6. Fill the lined tart tin with baking paper and baking beans (or uncooked rice). Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the paper and beans/rice and bake for 12-15 minutes more until lightly golden. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk the single cream, milk and remaining eggs with a good pinch of salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in the grated cheeses and cooled leeks.
- When the case is ready, put it on a baking sheet to make it easier to manoeuvre. Pour in the cheese filling. At this point you can freeze the quiche (see Make Ahead) or bake for 30 minutes until just set. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin, then either freeze (see Make Ahead) or remove and serve.
- Recipe from November 2022 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 548kcals
- Fat
- 41.4g (23.9g saturated)
- Protein
- 15.7g
- Carbohydrates
- 26.8g (2.4g sugars)
- Fibre
- 3.1g
- Salt
- 0.6g
delicious. tips
Replace the comté with a vegetarian hard cheese to make this quiche vegetarian.
There are two ways to freeze a quiche. You can either freeze it uncooked in the tin – the blind baked case filled with the leek and cheese mixture – or cooked. For uncooked, freeze until the filling is solid, then wrap tightly, making sure there are no air pockets. Put in a large freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen as in the recipe, but add an additional 15-20 minutes to the cooking time. To freeze the cooked quiche, follow the same process as above (in or out of the tin), but reheat it in a 180°C fan/gas 6 oven for 20-25 minutes until warmed through.
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