Asparagus Quiche

This asparagus quiche came out exactly as I had envisioned it. The asparagus was perfectly cooked, still firm, but with no hint of mushiness.



I only used the best part of the asparagus. After snapping off the woody ends where the asparagus naturally breaks, I then cut them into thirds and discarded the bottom third of the stalks (my asparagus were medium thick). I steamed the asparagus , hovering over it and testing frequently until it was just tender. I then rinsed the asparagus with cold water to stop the cooking.

I cooked a chopped shallot in a little dab of butter for a couple of minutes. I turned off the heat, moved the pan, and then added the drained asparagus and swished it around until it was well mixed with the shallot. I added a little salt & pepper and a shake of nutmeg.

I used about a cup of grated Fontina and placed about 1/2 cup on the bottom of the frozen 9" deep frozen pastry crust. I topped this with the asparagus, saving a couple of attractive tips for decoration. I then add the rest of the grated Fontina and poured in a custard of one egg +one egg yolk and 1 cup of half & half. I arranged the pretty spears on top and baked at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

We enjoyed this quiche with an English salad (that is, the salad my Mum makes with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, scallions, and cucumber) and sliced beetroot, both served with Heinz Salad Cream (an English salad dressing).