Smoked Trout, Duck Egg and Watercress Quiche with Davidstow® 18 Month Extra Mature Cheddar
Quintessentially British, a quiche should be the mainstay of any summer picnic or light lunch. This recipe created by Lee Westcott for Davidstow® combines smoked trout, duck egg, watercress and a strong cheddar to create something really special for the whole family. Chef Westcott says, "This recipe was inspired by a visit to one of my Cornish fish suppliers. We smoked and cooked a whole trout and when I tasted the Davidstow 18 month cheddar, I wanted to pair them together as it took me back to that day visiting Cornwall’s rugged fishing harbours.”
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 175 g plain flour
- 100 g cold butter grated using a cheese grater
- 1 duck egg yolk
- 3 tsp water
- Pinch of salt
For the Custard
- 1 duck egg
- 1 duck egg yolk
- 175 g double cream
- 25 ml whole milk
- 50 g crème fraiche
For the Filling
- 1 onion finely diced
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 100 g watercress washed
- ½ lemon zest
- 70 g Davidstow® 18 Month Extra Mature Cheddar grated
- 1 pinch fennel seeds
- 1 side of smoked trout flaked (approximately 150-200g)
Instructions
- Preheat a fan assisted oven to 175°C.
For the pastry
- Rub the flour, salt and the grated butter until a breadcrumb texture is achieved.
- Add the egg yolk and water and mix until a soft dough is formed.
- Knead the dough for a further minute. Now wrap it in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Take the pastry and roll out to around a 3mm thickness. Use this to line your quiche mould
- Leave a little over hang of pastry on the edges of the quiche mould. Place baking beans (or rice can be used instead), into parchment paper on top of the pastry.
- Now bake this at 175°C for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pastry case from the oven. Take away the beans and parchment paper. Now brush the pastry with yolk and bake for a further 5 minutes. This will help to seal the pastry. Allow the pastry to cool.
For the custard
- Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
For the filling
- Sweat the diced onion in butter with no colour, then add the fennel seeds.
- Add the washed watercress, mix into the onion mix until the watercress is wilted, now add the ½ lemon zest. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Now add the flaked smoked trout.
To combine
- Add the filling, then the custard.
- Now grate some of the Davidstow® 18 Month Extra Mature cheddar on top.
- Bake this again at 155°C for 35 minutes. Allow to completely cool, before trimming the excess pastry on the edge, using a small knife.
- Once completely cool, remove from the mould.