Thyme, Taleggio and Red Onion Tart

I am honoured to be continuing my work with Jekka’s Herb Farm. This award winning family business has just launched their Culinary Herb Boxes and this recipe is in this month’s box.

Common Garden variety (Thymus Vulgaris) is a Mediterranean herb which has a delightfully woody fragrance of hedgerows.  It works beautifully with many of Autumn’s seasonal vegetables such as mushrooms and squash as well as with roast potatoes and garlic.

Thyme, perhaps more surprisingly, also works well with any milk based food too – even ice cream.  In this recipe, I bake it slowly in a quiche with Taleggio cheese to release all of its deeply warm, savoury character.

As we experience some still warm days but cooler, darker evenings, I find the unctuous, satisfying nature of this quiche enormously comforting. Small wonder it is a real family favourite.

Serve with some late season tomatoes, a few rocket leaves and perhaps even a glass of white wine.

Method

 Serves 4 – 6

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 45-50 mins

You will need a 25cm quiche tin.

On a floured surface, roll out your pastry to 5cm wider than the tin. Line the tin with the pastry, cover with cling film and refrigerate on a baking sheet for 30 mins.

Meanwhile, gently heat the oil in a pan with a lid. Add the onion and sweat under a damp piece of grease proof paper with the lid on until it is very soft.  Add 2-3 thyme sprigs for the last few minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 200c/180c Fan/Gas Mark 6

Line the pastry case with grease proof paper and fill it with baking beans or lentils.  Blind bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Seal the pastry by brushing with some beaten egg and baking for another minute.

Turn the oven down to 150c/130c fan/Gas Mark 2.

Mix together the remaining eggs and the whipping cream and sieve it into a jug.  Season well and add the leaves of 3 – 4 more thyme sprigs.

Remove the thyme stalks from the onion and spoon it into the base of the pastry case.  Spread out the slices of Taleggio on top. Pour in the egg and cream, leaving a pound coin sized gap at the top.

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes until there is a  small wobble left at the centre.

Leave the quiche to stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

500g block Ready Made Short Crust Pastry

1 large red onion thinly sliced

1tbsp oil

6 sprigs of thyme

4 Eggs

350 ml whipping cream

100g Taleggio cheese sliced

Salt and ground black pepper