Smoked trout quiche with basil pesto and dukkah

Prep

Cook 15 min 1 hr 20 min

Cool 30 min+ Serves 6

Cost

About £2.30 a head

320g shop-bought shortcrust pastry 3 large eggs, beaten 180ml double cream 200g creme fraiche 8 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced (120g)

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Fine sea salt

150g hot smoked trout, roughly flaked 1 lemon, zest finely grated, to get 1 tsp, then cut into 8 wedges

60g pecorino (or parmesan), finely grated

60ml olive oil

20g basil leaves, roughly torn

10g flat-leaf parsley leaves

25g pine nuts

2 tsp coriander seeds ½ tsp cumin seeds 1½ tsp sesame seeds 10g blanched hazelnuts

This is all about keeping the quiche love alive. It’s a real picnic winner: easy to slice, happily made in advance, and it travels well, too.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/ gas 6, and have ready a 24cm tart tin. Roll out the pastry into a roughly 3mm-thick circle that’s at least

28cm in diameter (it needs to be big enough to line the tin with some overhang). Press the pastry into the base and sides of the tin, then fold the overhang over the sides, pinch to secure and freeze for 10 minutes.

Line the shell with a sheet of baking paper large enough to cover the base and sides, then fill with baking beans. Place on a flat tray and bake for 30 minutes. Lift out the paper and beans, and return the tart case to the oven for 10 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Thinly brush the shell with beaten egg, then bake for two minutes more.

Meanwhile, put the cream, creme fraiche, spring onions, cayenne and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt in a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil on a medium heat. Off the heat, gently stir in the trout and lemon zest, leave to cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the remaining beaten egg and two-thirds of the pecorino.

For the pesto, put the oil, basil, parsley, the remaining 20g cheese and 15g pine nuts in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste.

For the dukkah, coarsely bash the seeds, hazelnuts and remaining pine nuts in a mortar.

Pour the custard into the tart shell, then drop dollops of the pesto on top, keeping them apart. Sprinkle the dukkah over the remaining visible patches of custard, then bake for 25 minutes for a soft set and up to 35 minutes for a firmer one. Remove, leave to cool for at least 30 minutes, then slice and serve with the lemon wedges alongside.