Cheese Tart

I love baking but sometimes I need to have a bit of a break from the sweet treats. A quiche or cheese tart enables me to have the fun of baking and a nice lunch or dinner dish. The filling can be whatever combination of things you like but I nearly always make this three (or more) cheese version. It is a good way to use up the odds and ends of cheese that you have in the fridge. I make my pastry with cream cheese, however, any shortcrust will be satisfactory. If using commercial pastry use a block so that you can roll it out to the required thickness.

Here's How

Roll pastry out to 3 -4 mm thickness. I roll out onto cooking parchment. If you lightly dampen the bench the paper will stick and not slide about as you are rolling out the pastry. Roll from the centre of the pastry to the edges, trying to keep the pastry in a round shape.

Pick the paper up and turn it over as you place the pastry in the greased tin.

Peel paper from the pastry and adjust pastry to fit tin. Trim edges as required. Prick base with a fork. If possible freeze the shell.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper. Add one - two cups of loading*. Bake for twenty minutes until pastry is starting to colour. (Blind bake)

Remove from the oven and then carefully remove the baking paper and loading. Return tart shell to the oven for a further five minutes.

Add cheese, onions and thyme to the pastry case.

Whisk eggs, milk, cream and a pepper together. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese filling Bake at 160 deg C until filling is just set.

Another version, this one has a few rashers of bacon and some thinly sliced zucchine. The shallow tin needs less filling (3 eggs, 3/4cup of milk, 3/4 cup cream)

Cheese Tart

Filling 2 cups grated cheese* ½ bunch spring onions, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or generous pinch of dried 4 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup cream *I use a mixture of strong tasty, blue and any soft ripened cheese such as brie

Pastry 250 g cream cheese 125 g butter 2 cups flour 1 -2 tablespoons chilled water Extra 2 cups dried peas/beans to act as pastry weights/loading. Save and reuse.

Method

To Make Pastry

Cut butter and cream cheese into small cubes and mix together.

Add flour and 1 tablespoon of water. Pulse until dough just comes together in to a ball. Add additional water if necessary.

Knead dough lightly, approximately 8 pushes until smooth ball forms. Do not over knead as this will make the dough tough.

Shape dough into a flat disk about the size of a small plate. Wrap in plastic film. Chill for at least an hour. I usually leave for several hours or overnight.

Roll out to 3 -4 mm thickness. I roll out onto cooking parchment. If you lightly dampen the bench the paper will stick and not slide about as you are rolling out the pastry. Roll from the centre of the pastry to the edges, trying to keep the pastry in a round shape.

Pick the paper up and turn it over as you place the pastry in the greased tin.

Peel paper from the pastry and adjust pastry to fit tin. Trim edges as required. Prick base with a fork. If possible freeze the shell.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper. Add one - two cups of loading*. Bake for twenty minutes until pastry is starting to colour. Remove from the oven and then carefully remove the baking paper and loading. 

Return tart shell to the oven for a further five minutes.

*Loading is a mixture of dried peas, beans, lentils chickpeas, rice etc. It can be used over and over again. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container. Do not use for anything else or try and cook it.

To Make the Tart

Add cheese, onions and thyme to the pastry case.

Whisk eggs, milk, cream and a pepper together. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese filling Bake at 160 deg C until filling is just set.

Allow to cool slightly before cutting.