I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day. It’s always a tough day for me because my mother died a few years ago and my children are in Washington, DC, Orlando and Atlanta. And… I only have two children.
My daughter’s home is in Orlando where her husband is an attorney and her son goes to school, but Kathy lives in Washington, DC where she works Monday through Friday. It was her dream job to work as a geek for the Discovery Channel and needing to travel so much wasn’t going to stand in her way.
I remember the first time I made quiche for the kids. They both loved eggs, cheese and bacon but I’d never made a quiche at home before. I was a busy single mother with a stressful job so I did what most women did – we got food on the table but nothing was complicated. Once dinner was done and the washing up was finished, there were baths, homework to check, books to read, laundry to sort and wash and at some point, bed.
When I served quiche for the first time the entire plate was finished – even my skinny picky eater daughter had more than her share. They would both love this asparagus, potato and cheese tart recipe.
It was only after I made that first time that I found out how easy it is. If you don’t want to make a crust, you can use phyllo dough or a store bought crust or frankly you could sprinkle parmesan cheese generously over a buttered baking pan and have no crust at all. I think technically that would be a frittata but I’m not going to judge.
This quiche is soft and creamy and nearly melts in your mouth. What’s not to like about eggs, cheese and vegetables? Nothing. In the Northern Hemisphere, asparagus would be really inexpensive right now. Nothing better than the first asparagus of the season. Yes, nobody wants to pee afterwards but it doesn’t last. Did you know that only half the population can smell asparagus that way? It doesn’t affect the other half. Weird. Of course I had to be in the first half.
This recipe is probably more of a tart than a traditional quiche but saying tart doesn’t really explain it either. While you could use your favorite short crust pastry, I used phyllo dough or fillo or filo – depending upon how you spell it. I think it gives it a lightness that heavier crusts don’t. I can’t remember how many times I’ve eaten the inside of a quiche to leave the crust behind. Not with this one.
- 3 large waxy new potatoes
- 16 thick stems of asparagus
- 20 gms (1½ tbs) butter to brush pastry
- 3 large eggs
- 225 mls cream
- 5 sheets phyllo pastry
- Salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tablesp each spring onions (shallots), thyme and finely chopped parsley
- 175 gms grated cheddar cheese (or use your favorite)
- Use 23cm sq or 36 x 12 cm tin
- Cook potatoes till tender in salted water
- Slice into 1cm thick rounds
- Trim asparagus.
- Beat eggs with cream in a bowl. Add shallots, thyme parsley and pinch of salt and pepper.
- Unroll filo pastry and layer 5 sheets into prepared tray
- Trim edges so they stand 5 cms proud of tin
- Make a layer of potato on base of pastry lined tin
- Break some potato to fill any major gaps
- Sprinkle all over with salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg
- Pour in prepared egg, milk, shallot, thyme and parsley mixture.
- Layer with grated cheese
- Line with a bank of asparagus, stems facing the same direction across tart
- Brush edges of pastry with butter
- Bake on the middle shelf at 180 degrees for 35 to 40 mins till egg has set
- If spears show signs of shriveling, cover them (not pastry) with buttered paper
- Serve hot, warm or cold