Anne Morgan Here is Delia Smith’s asparagus quiche recipe, her Asparagus and Cheese Tart with Cheddar, eggs and single cream, for 6 people. You half-cook the asparagus in a steamer, then bake it in a Cheddar pastry case at 180°C. It is ready in about 1½ hours, and it freezes well.
The tart comes from Delia’s Vegetarian Collection, and it is on her website too. She cooks English asparagus every way she can during its short season.
An older version with a Parmesan pastry is in the FAQs below. For another green quiche, see the broccoli quiche recipe.
Delia Smith’s Asparagus Quiche
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Medium6
servings30
minutes1
hour310
kcalHalf-cooked asparagus in a crisp cheese pastry, set in eggs and single cream with Parmesan on top.
Ingredients
- For the pastry:
110g (4oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) butter
25g (1oz) lard, or pure vegetable fat
25g (1oz) Cheddar, finely grated
a pinch of salt
- For the filling:
350g (12oz) asparagus
40g (1½oz) Cheddar, finely grated
2 large eggs, beaten
275ml (10fl oz) single cream
1 level tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Directions
- Oven: Heat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas mark 4, and put a solid baking sheet in to heat up. Lightly grease a 19cm fluted quiche tin, 3cm deep, with a removable base.
- Pastry: Rub the butter and lard lightly into the flour. Add the cheese, the salt and about 1 tablespoon of cold water to make a smooth dough. Rest it in a polythene bag in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Case: Roll out the pastry and line the tin, pressing the dough firmly into it. Prick the base all over with a fork and bake it on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
- Seal: Paint the inside of the case with a little of the beaten egg. Put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Asparagus: Bend each stalk until the woody end snaps off. Steam the spears over simmering water for 4 to 5 minutes, then chop them into 4cm lengths and spread them over the pastry base.
- Custard: Beat the eggs with the cream and the Cheddar, and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mix over the asparagus.
- Bake: Sprinkle the Parmesan on top. Bake the tart on the baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes, until the centre feels firm and the top is puffy and browned.
Notes
- Delia's book uses pure vegetable fat in the pastry, and her website uses lard.
- Her website lists a 284ml carton of single cream, which works just as well.
- On her older page, Delia says the tart is good hot or cold.
- 350g is about 15 medium stalks, by Delia's count.
FAQs
Does asparagus need to be cooked before it goes in a quiche?
Yes, but only by half. Delia gives the spears a short steam, and the oven does the rest.
Steaming is the only way she cooks asparagus. She keeps it out of water, because its flavour is so delicate.
What cheese pairs best with asparagus?
Cheddar and Parmesan are Delia’s pair. This tart has 40g of Cheddar in the filling and 25g more in the pastry.
Her older tart moves the Parmesan into the pastry, 40g of it. The cheese and onion quiche recipe and the leek quiche on this site have a cheese pastry too.
Which asparagus is best for a quiche?
The thin stalks. Delia writes that sprue, the very thin asparagus, is the cheapest of all and excellent for soups or quiches.
Loose, ungraded asparagus is her other tip, so buy it at the height of the season. Her own plants crop in May and June.
Stalks too thin to pick up with your fingers are the ones she saves for a quiche.
What is different in her older asparagus tart?
The pastry, the cream and the size. Her Complete Cookery Course version has a pastry of 110g of flour, 50g of butter and 40g of Parmesan.
The filling has double cream, and the tin is a 20cm flan tin. That tart needs 40 to 45 minutes at 190°C, gas mark 5.
She serves it as a first course for 4 to 6 people. In her words, it is a recipe that “makes a little go a long way”.
Can I freeze asparagus quiche?
You can. Her website’s food editor says to bake it, cool it completely, then open-freeze it until solid and wrap it well. In the freezer it keeps for 4 to 6 months.
Defrost it overnight in the fridge, unwrapped but covered. To serve it hot, reheat it under foil at 180°C for 30 minutes.
