Asparagus quiche in Brown Butter Pastry / with capers
Capers add a lovely punch of saltiness. To make vegetarian, swap gruyère for vegetarian hard cheese. Keeps chilled three days. Great to take on picnics or serve at garden parties
Ingredients 8 oz asparagus trimmed 2 eggs 2 egg yolks 250ml double cream 1 lemon zested and segmented 50g gruyère finely grated 2 tbsp capers drained
BROWN BUTTER PASTRY 2 c plain flour 150g butter 1 egg
Method step 1 Make the brown butter by heating the butter in a small frying pan, swirling frequently, until foaming. Cook for 1-2 mins or until it starts to look brown and smell nutty. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Once cool, transfer to the fridge to chill and turn solid. Once cold, cut into cubes. step 2 Whizz the flour and brown butter in a food processor until it looks like damp sand, then add the yolk and 1-2 tbsp of ice-cold water to bring it together. Wrap and chill for 30 mins. step 3 Steam the asparagus in a tiered steamer for 3 mins until bright green, then rinse until cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Keep 6-8 of the best spears whole, and chop the remainder into 1cm pieces. step 4 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 23cm tart tin. Fill with a piece of baking paper and baking beans. Cook for 15 mins, then remove the paper and cook for another 5 mins until the base looks dry. step 5 Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, cream, lemon zest and cheese with some seasoning.
step 6 Trim the pastry case sides, then add the chopped asparagus to the base. Scatter over the capers and pour over the egg mixture. Arrange the remaining asparagus spears on top and cook in the oven for 35-40 mins or until set but still with a slight wobble to the middle. Serve at room temperature or cold.