Quiche consists of a rich, savory , buttery crust pastry  (short crust pastry) filled with a mixture of well beaten eggs and fresh cream, with seasonings and various other ingredients added for filling, such as onions, chicken, bacon, mushroom, ham, shrimp, fish, crab, etc. It is the perfect make-ahead recipe for upcoming brunches, lunches, and dinners. This recipe is going to be made with chicken, onions, garlic and capsicums (Bell Peppers). The key to making the perfect quiche is simplicity, as you can see with this tasty recipe. The best part about quiche is that you can have it for brunch, lunch or dinner with a salad and/or mimosas. Keep reading further to find out how easy it is to make this beautiful dish. 

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Served: Hot or Cold

Ingredients:

200g All purpose flour 4 eggs , well beaten
100g Butter (Room Temperature)
3/4 th cup fresh cream
300g shredded chicken
3 Capsicums (Recipe uses yellow, green & red)
1 onion diced
2 garlic petals diced
Large pinch of Salt
3-4 tablespoons of water

Method:

1. Short Crust Pastry

To make the Short Crust Pastry start by putting together flour, large pinch of salt and butter (Room Temperature) in a mixing bowl and rub everything together with your fingers. It’s a little messy, but trust me that’s the best way to bring all the ingredients together for that semi flaky, rich buttery pastry. Grab big handfuls and squeeze the butter into the flour. Add couple tablespoons of cold water and keep mixing until it comes out as a nice firm ball of pastry. If you feel that the mixture is too dry add one more tablespoon of cold water. Use your wrists to knead the ball of pastry to get a nice smooth texture. Wrap it in a plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for 20 minutes. It’s very important that you let the short crust pastry relax.

2. To Make the Quiche:

• Once the pastry is nice and relaxed roll it out to a nice even thickness. Coat your baking pan with oil so that the pastry doesn’t stick and dust it with the flour. Place the rolled out pastry in the center of your baking pan using your fingers.  We don’t want any holes in this so use some extra dough from the sides to fill in the holes if there are any.
• We need to blind bake the pastry; it simply means to pre-cook your pastry before adding the filling. It ensures you have a fantastic crisp pastry. In order to do that, add a sheet of aluminum foil to your baking pan and weigh it down. You can use rice or pulses for that. Put it in the oven at 170 degrees for 10 minutes.

3. For the Filling

• I am making a chicken quiche with capsicum(Bell Peppers) and onion filling. Cut the red, yellow and green capsicums into small pieces. I have flavored the shredded chicken with garlic and ginger paste but you could do anything you want according to your taste preference. In a medium heated pan mix together the diced onion and minced garlic petals until the onion starts to soften. Add in the cut capsicum and mix everything for ten minutes. Sprinkle pinch of salt and pepper for taste & seasoning.
• In another mixing bowl take 4 eggs and 3/4^th cup fresh cream and whisk them together. The fresh cream gives very nice richness. Grate your favorite cheese (Parmesan/Pepper Jack/Mozzarella in this mixture. Or you could just crush some cheese slices from your fridge it’s all up to you !!
  

  Tip: It is really important to taste your filling as you go along. If you feel that the filling is too bland for your taste you can add in some red chili flakes.

• Now, remove the aluminum foil from the baking pan and fill it with shredded chicken and capsicum & onion mix to form a nice layer inside. Pour the egg and fresh cream mixture on top of it. For more freshness you can also add freshly cut coriander or parsley. You can also grate over some more cheese so that it will bubble up beautifully. Put the baking pan in the oven at 170 degrees and bake for about 15-20 minutes  or until golden  (the center should not feel too firm)

• Remove the pan and let the quiche cool for about 10 minutes and it can be served hot or cold. Enjoy with your friends and family!!