South African radio personality Philicity Reeken doesn’t just brighten up the mornings of so many around the country as part of Jacaranda FM’s Breakfast With Martin Bester team, but she’s also an avid foodie and loves to get creative in the kitchen when she’s got a little bit of time in between her busy day.
Philicity, like so many around the world, is looking forward to the coronation of King Charles III this weekend, and took at stab at the popular Royal Family Coronation Quiche that has been trending on social media.
The quiche has a crisp pastry case with delicate flavours of spinach, broad beans, and parsley. Eat hot or cold with a green salad and boiled new potatoes – chefs kiss!
Philicity has some tips for all the foodies out there before making this dish:
- If you can’t find fresh tarragon, use 1.5 tsp of dried parsley.
- No one tells you that broad beans are double podded, so you have to peel the bean from it’s big pod to reveal the smaller pod, boil for 2 minutes and release each bean individually.
- Take time with the pastry part – it’s what makes the quiche so special.
“I am a big fan of the royal family and I am a fan because it’s been around for such a long time,” Philicity says. “We cannot deny the history and the regalia is amazing and the tiaras are amazing. I am a big fan of tradition so I will be watching the coronation. It’s very fascinating to see. I suggest throwing a watch party with your friends. Make this quiche or some cucumber sandwiches. Drink a Pimms. Have an Eaton mess. Enjoy some fish and chips. Make some Yorkshire pudding and enjoy the coronation!”
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
250g plain flour, plus a little for dusting
50g cold butter, diced
50g lard (or use butter if you prefer)
4 tablespoons of milk, plus a splash
Or 250g block of ready-made shortcrust pastry
For the filling:
125ml milk
175ml double cream
2 medium eggs
1 and a half tablespoons of dried parsley and some fresh parsley as well
100g cheddar, grated
180g cooked spinach, liquid squeezed out and lightly chopped
60g cooked broad beans or soya beans
Method:
- Sieve the flour into a bowl with ½ tsp salt. Add the butter and lard, and rub the mixture together using your fingertips until you get a sandy, breadcrumb-like texture. Add the milk, a little at a time, and using a cutlery knife, start to bring the dough together, using your hands, making sure it has no dry patches and feels smooth. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 mins.
- Put a 20cm loose-bottomed tart tin or a 20cm pastry ring on a baking sheet. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick. Carefully lift the pastry into the tin and gently press into the corners, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 mins in the fridge. Heat oven to 190C.
- Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper – to do this cut a disc of greaseproof paper larger than the tin, scrunch it into a ball (this makes it more pliable), then unwrap and place it in the pastry case. It should come above the sides. Fill with baking beans or uncooked rice and bake blind for 20-25 until nicely golden and dry. Carefully remove the greaseproof paper and baking beans, and return to the oven for 5 mins to dry the base. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C.
- Beat the milk, cream, eggs and herbs with some seasoning. Scatter half of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans, then pour over the liquid mixture. If required, gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed, but be careful not to damage the pastry case. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-30 mins until set and very lightly golden.
- Enjoy!
Listen to Philicity Reeken on ‘Breakfast With Martin Bester’ every weekday between 06:00 and 09:00 on Jacaranda FM.
