Tags
almonds, butternut, comté, quiche, rainbow nation, South Africa, tart, vegetarian
The first thing I have to do is own up that this is not one of my own creations. Yes, I made it but no, I did not “invent” it. This delicious recipe is courtesy of Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, Executive chef and owner of world renowned 1* Michelin restaurant JAN in Nice, France. The only South African chef to be awarded a Michelin star.
I saw the recipe in a magazine while I was in Cape Town a few weeks ago and have been wanting to try it ever since. Today, was the day. The beauty of this quiche is not only its texture, but also the nuttiness that complements the butternut so well. The quiche was delicious although next time I will replace the allspice with curry powder or cayenne pepper to give it a bit more kick.
Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
Crust
100 g / 1 cup all-purpose flour
50 g / 1/2 cup almond flour
75 g / 5 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
Fine sea salt
Filling
500 g / 1 lb butternut, seeded and diced
Olive oil for drizzling
Fine sea salt and ground black pepper
3 eggs
20 ml / 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
100 g / 3/4 cup almond flour
100 g / 3/4 cup Comté or strong Cheddar cheese, grated
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch ground allspice (or curry or peri-peri or cayenne)
Pinch ground cumin
50 g / 2 oz flaked almonds
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 F.
2. For the crust, use your fingers to combine the flours and the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk and salt and mix until a dough forms. If necessary, add ice water if the dough is not soft enough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. To make the filling, place the butternut cubes on a baking tray, drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the butternut is soft. Transfer the butternut to a food processor and blend until it forms a smooth purée. Spoon the mixture into a mixing bowl and add the eggs, melted butter, almond flour, cheese and spices. Mix well with a wooden spoon until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
4.Butter a quiche pan. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently lift the pastry by placing the edge on the rolling pin and carefully lifting it. Place in the quiche pan and press lightly with your fingers until even. Cut a piece of baking paper and place it inside the pan. Fill with rice or baking beans and bake in the preheated oven for 10–15 minutes. Remove the beans and return to oven for 5 minutes until the crust is golden. Leave to cool.
5. Fill the pastry shell with the butternut egg mixture and bake at 180 °C / 350 F for about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds a few minutes before the end of the cooking time. Serve warm.
6. Enjoy!