Easter Quiche
Bring a touch of French Easter tradition to your table with this elegant spring tart. Flaky golden shortcrust pastry holds a silky egg-and-cream filling, dotted with smoky lardons and tender green asparagus. The asparagus stays lightly firm, the filling is luxuriously set, and the buttery pastry melts in every bite. It’s simple, seasonal, and beautifully rustic, exactly what Easter lunch in France should taste like.
Ingredients
For the pâte brisée
- 200 gr plain flour
- 100 gr unsalted butter cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 200 gr vegetarian lardons smoked
- 300 gr green asparagus
- 4 eggs
- 200 ml crème fraîche
- 100 ml whole milk
- 80 gr Gruyère cheese
- salt and black pepper
For the top
- 3 eggs hard-boiled and halved lengthways
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley
- 3 sprigs dill
Instructions
1. Make the pâte brisée
- Put the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the flour with your fingertips, working quickly so the butter doesn't warm up. You're aiming for a texture like rough, sandy breadcrumbs, visible flecks of butter are fine. Add the egg yolk and one tablespoon of cold water at a time, mixing lightly with a fork until the dough just comes together. Don't overwork it. Form into a flat disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Blind bake the pastry case
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan. Roll out the chilled pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thickness and line your tart dish, pressing gently into the fluted edges. Trim the excess. Prick the base all over with a fork, line with baking parchment, and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until the base is lightly golden and dry. Remove and set aside. Reduce the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan.
3. Prepare the asparagus
- Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus, they'll break naturally at the right point, and peel the lower third of each stalk with a vegetable peeler. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 3 minutes. They should be just barely tender, still with a little bite. Drain immediately and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and pat dry.
4. Cook the lardons
- Cook the vegetarian lardons in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and slightly crisped. Set aside to cool a little.
5. Make the filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche, and milk until smooth. Season with a little salt, go carefully as the lardons will add some, and a generous amount of black pepper. Stir in most of the grated Gruyère, keeping a small handful back for the top.
6. Assemble and bake
- Scatter the lardons over the base of the pastry case. Arrange the asparagus spears in a circular pattern on top, pointing outward from the centre. Pour the egg and cream mixture over carefully, right up to the top of the pastry. Scatter the remaining Gruyère over the surface. Place the three hard-boiled egg halves, cut-side up, evenly spaced around the quiche, pressing them very gently into the surface. They should sit proud of the filling.
7. Bake
- Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes, until the filling is just set with the very faintest wobble in the centre and the top is golden. If the pastry edges are browning too quickly, cover them loosely with strips of foil.
8. Garnish and serve
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving, this helps the filling settle cleanly for slicing. Scatter flat-leaf parsley leaves and dill fronds over the top just before bringing to the table. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Blind baking the pastry is not optional. Skipping it gives you a soggy bottom, and French quiche deserves better than that.
- The asparagus should be blanched briefly but still have a little bite going into the oven. It will continue to cook in the quiche. If it goes in already soft, it will turn mushy.
- If you can't find smoked vegetarian lardons, dice a block of smoked vegetarian bacon instead. The smokiness matters, it's what balances the richness of the cream and egg.
- The quiche is equally good at room temperature as it is warm, which makes it perfect for a relaxed Easter lunch where you're not trying to time everything at once.
- Gruyère is the most authentically French choice here. Comté works just as well if that's what you have.