This is a total winner. Everybody loves it and the brie works so well with the butternut squash. We’re really lucky having so many artisan cheese makers on our doorstep. Ideal for making ahead of time, this quiche works really well served hot or cold.

This recipe is taken from Honeybuns All Day Cook Book.

Pastry ingredients

Filling ingredients

Approximately butternut squash, 300g raw weight, peeled and chopped into 3cm cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g spinach leaves, washed and dried
2 eggs
2 tbsp crème fraiche
60-100ml milk
125g vegetarian cheddar, grated
150g vegetarian brie, cut into fairly thin slices
1 ½ tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Step by step guide to making your quiche

Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4.
Brush the flan tin with melted butter.
Place all of the pastry ingredients, except the egg and milk, in a food processor and blitz until the mixture has the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the egg and milk and blitz again for 30 seconds to 1 minute until a soft dough is formed.
The pastry is quite delicate, so is best pressed into the tin rather than rolled. Dust your hands and work surface liberally with rice flour, knead the dough briefly, and then form it into a ball. Put it into the tin and press firmly over the base and up the sides, making sure you have no holes. Don’t worry about the pastry being a little bit bumpy. The tin can be lined with the pastry the day before, then covered and chilled overnight if you like to prep ahead.

Place the butternut squash in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until soft.
Place a frying pan on a medium heat and add the butter and garlic for 2 minutes before adding the spinach. Cook for a further 1 minute until the spinach begins to wilt, then set to one side to cool.
Put the eggs and crème fraiche into a measuring jug and make up the liquid to 300ml with milk. Whisk until the eggs are well beaten and the mixture is bubbly.
Scatter the grated cheddar over the pastry and place the roasted butternut squash on top. Evenly layer the cooked spinach on top and then cover with the slices of brie. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the filling, stopping approximately ½cm from the top of the pastry. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is set and golden brown but still slightly wobbly. The melted brie will look quite runny but it’s important to make sure the egg mixture is set.
Serve hot or cold. If serving hot, leave in the tin for 5 minutes to settle before sliding onto a serving plate. If serving cold simply leave in the tin until required.