Lettuce and spring onion tart
Serves 4 to 6
1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
4 little gem hearts, trimmed and quartered
15g butter
2 bunches spring onions
100g Lancashire (or a medium cheddar or hard goats cheese)
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
200ml double cream
200ml whole milk
1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry quite thinly and use it to line a 25cm tart
tin, leaving the rough edges hanging over the sides. Line with foil and baking beans, and bake blind
for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, prick the pastry with a fork in a few places, and bake
uncovered for 10-15 minutes more, until just starting to colour. Trim away the excess pastry around
the edge.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the little gem quarters, season and cook for
about five minutes, turning them once or twice, until they are golden brown on the cut surfaces.
3. Add the butter, letting it melt in the pan, then spoon it over the lettuces. Arrange the lettuce hearts in
the pastry case.
4. Reduce the heat under the pan a little. Trim and roughly chop the spring onions, then sauté gently
for five minutes.
5. Add to the tart, then crumble over the cheese.
6. Combine the eggs, egg yolk, cream and milk, season well, then pour over the tart filling. Bake for
about 35 minutes until golden on top. Serve warm or cold.
Recpies
Quiche
Ingredients
8 eggs
1 red pepper
1 broccoli
A punnet of Mushrooms or
226G
1 onion
A splash of milk
150g Cheddar Cheese
300G Shortcrust Pastry (or enough to line your quiche dish)
Method
1.Turn the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Chop all the vegtables.
3. Crack the eggs into a bowl or jug and mix them together.
4. Then add the grated cheese and milk to the eggs and mix again.
5. Line your dish with the pastry
cook it in the oven for 15 minutes.
6. Once the time is up take the pastry out of the oven and add the egg mixture.
7. Cook for 25 minutes.
Lettuce gratin
Serves 4
3 hearts of lettuce (a cos type works well), around 500g altogether
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
20g butter
150g unsmoked streaky bacon, cut into small pieces
3 bunches spring onions
100g baby peas or frozen petits pois
3 tbsp double cream (optional)
100g coarse breadcrumbs
1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Trim the bases off the lettuces, then cut them horizontally
into 5cm-thick chunks. Put these in a large bowl with the oil and some salt and pepper, toss and
transfer to a shallow oven dish around 28cm x 22cm. Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway
through, until the lettuce is wilted, its stalks tender, and its leaves lightly coloured.
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a
few minutes until starting to colour.
3.Trim and wash the spring onions, slice them on the diagonal into chunky, 2cm pieces, add to the
bacon pan, cook gently for five minutes, until tender, and season.
If using fresh peas, cook them lightly in salted boiling water until tender – only a minute or two for
little baby peas. If using frozen, put them in a colander and pour over a mug of boiling water. In
either case, drain and add to the bacon pan.
4. When the lettuce comes out of the oven, heat the grill to medium. Spoon the bacon mix over the
lettuce, leaving a good amount of fat in the pan, and pour on the cream, if using. Add the
breadcrumbs to the frying pan, stir so they absorb the butter, then scatter over the lettuce. Grill for
a few minutes, until golden and crisp on top, and serve at once.