Mini quiches: easy holiday appetizer (freezable)
Prep: 30 min · Cook: 20 min · Makes: 24 mini quiches · For:
Mini quiches are the party food that always gets eaten. They are warm, savoury and the right size to eat in two bites with a drink in your other hand. Baked in a muffin pan with ready-made pastry, they are also much easier than they look.
Make a batch of each filling, freeze them weeks before Christmas, and you will always have something to put in the oven when friends and family drop by.
More filling ideas
- Vegetarian: spinach and feta, or mushroom and thyme.
- Festive: a little cranberry sauce and crumbled goat's cheese.
- For children: ham and cheese, without the nutmeg.
Little helpers
Children love cutting out the pastry rounds and pressing them into the pan. They can also share out the fillings with a teaspoon. A grown-up pours the egg mix and handles the oven.
Ingredients
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts (one 14 oz box)
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp milk
- ¾ cup shredded Gruyère or sharp cheddar
- a pinch of grated nutmeg
- salt and black pepper
- Filling 1: 4 slices of bacon, diced, and 1 small leek
- Filling 2: 3½ oz smoked salmon and a few sprigs of dill
- a little butter, for greasing
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease two 12-hole muffin pans with butter.
- Unroll the pastry and cut out 24 rounds with a 3-inch cutter. Press them gently into the holes so they come a little way up the sides.
- Filling 1: fry the bacon in a dry pan until golden. Add the finely sliced leek and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Let it cool.
- Filling 2: cut the smoked salmon into small strips and chop the dill.
- Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, cheese, nutmeg and a little salt and pepper in a measuring cup. Go easy on the salt because the bacon and salmon are already salty.
- Divide the bacon and leek between 12 pastry cases and the salmon and dill between the other 12.
- Pour the egg mixture over the fillings until each case is almost full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until the filling is puffed and set and the pastry is golden. Leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then lift them out with a small knife.
Questions
Can I freeze mini quiches?
Yes. Cool them completely, freeze them on a tray, then pack them in a box for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 350°F (180°C) for 10-12 minutes.
Can I make them the day before?
Yes. Keep them in the fridge and warm them in the oven for 5-8 minutes before serving so the pastry crisps up again.
Can I use puff pastry?
Yes, puff pastry gives a lighter, flakier case. Prick the bases with a fork before filling.
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