Recipe: Roast Tomato, Feta & Basil Quiche
A simple tart to make the most of fresh seasonal tomatoes. Tomatoes are one of the ingredients that most repay seasonal loyalty - the sooner from the vine they can be eaten the greater the treat. Local summer tomatoes are a world away from the tasteless winter supermarket variety, and their flavours become even more intense when roasted.
Tomatoes ripening in Belhaven Community Garden’s polytunnel
Ingredients
300g tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
A handful of fresh basil, leaves torn
100g feta cheese
100ml milk
3 eggs
150ml creme fraiche
2 tablespoons olive oil
280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
140g cold butter
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C / gas 4. Toss the halved tomatoes with olive oil. When the oven has come up to temperature, pop in the tomatoes to roast for 20 – 25 minutes.
To make the pastry, tip the flour into a large bowl and cut in the butter in small chunks. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like crumbly breadcrumbs. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing as you go with your hands until just combined – you’ll probably need about three tablespoons of water.
Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Pick it up by rolling it over the rolling pin, then drape over the quiche tin. Gently press it into the corners with a small ball of scraps, leaving an overhang of a couple of centimetres over the sides. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
Take the roast tomatoes out. Wipe clean the baking tray and pop it back into the oven.
Once the pastry has chilled, line it with baking paper and fill with baking beans (you can use raw rice if you don’t have any). Bake for 20 minutes with the beans, then remove them and the lining paper and cook for another 5 minutes or so until golden brown.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a jug, then whisk in the crème fraiche and milk. Season with black pepper and salt (remember feta is salty too). Stir in the torn basil.
When the pastry case is blind-baked, scatter over the roast tomatoes and crumble over half the feta. Pour in the custard mixture and top with the rest of the cheese.
Place the tart on the preheated baking tray and cook for 30 – 35 mins, until golden brown on top and just set. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes then gently push the tart out.