BACON + LEEK QUICHE

Featuring Herbs De Provence, a southern French staple combining herbs with lavender, celery seeds and bay leaves.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Pastry

180g Unsalted butter

240g Plain flour

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

1/4 cup Water

Filling

4 rashes Bacon

4 Egg yolks

2 Eggs

1 1/2 cups Cream

1 Leek

1 bunch Asparagus

METHOD

1/ Remove butter from the fridge 30 minutes before making pastry. Sift flour into a shallow bowl or onto a clean workbench. Chop butter into small squares (or use your grater to grate the butter) and toss lightly in flour with Herbs De Provence. Using your finger tips, lightly rub to combine.

2/ Make a well in centre of the flour and pour in water. Using a pastry scraper, work water into flour. Using the heel of your hand, knead to form a dough. Form a flat cake and dust with a little flour then wrap in glad wrap, set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3/ When required, roll out pastry, dusting generously with flour as needed. Line a 20cm quiche tin with pastry and bake blind at 200C for 20 minutes. Remove quiche from the oven, reduce the oven to 170C.

4/ Fry bacon gently until crisp, then cut into small pieces and scatter over pastry case. Chop leek in half vertically then thinly slice. Sauté leek until caramelised and soft. Scatter leek across the base of pastry case.

5/ Whisk egg yolks, eggs and cream together then pour into quiche case. Decorate top of quiche with asparagus spears. Cook for 20 to 35 minutes in the oven.