Smoked Trout, Duck Egg and Watercress Quiche with Davidstow18 Month Extra Mature cheddar

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post-smoked-trout-quiche1Serves: 4-6

Quintessentially British, a quiche should be the mainstay of any summer picnic or light lunch. My recipe combines smoked trout, duck egg, watercress and a strong cheddar to create something really special for the whole family.

What You’ll Need:

Pastry

  • 175g plain flour
  • 100g cold butter (grated using a cheese grater)
  • 1 duck egg yolk
  • 3 teaspoons water
  • Pinch of salt
  • Custard
  • 1 duck egg
  • 1 duck egg yolk
  • 175g double cream
  • 25ml whole milk
  • 50g crème fraiche

Filling

  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 20g unsalted butter
  • 100g watercress, washed
  • 1/2 lemon zest
  • 70g Davidstow® 18 Month Extra
  • Mature cheddar, grated
  • 1 pinch fennel seeds
  • 1 side of smoked trout, flaked (approximately 150-200g)

What To Do:

  • Preheat a fan assisted oven to 175°c

For the pastry

  • Rub the flour, salt and the grated butter until a breadcrumb texture is achieved.
  • Add the egg yolk and water and mix until a soft dough is formed. Knead the dough for a further minute. Now wrap it in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
  • Take the pastry and roll out to around a 3mm thickness. Use this to line your quiche mould
  • Leave a little over hang of pastry on the edges of the quiche mould. Place baking beans (or rice can be used instead), into parchment paper on top of the pastry.
  • Now bake this at 175°C for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the pastry case from the oven. Take away the beans and parchment paper. Now brush the pastry with yolk and bake for a further 5 minutes. This will help to seal the pastry.
  • Allow the pastry to cool.

For the custard;

  • Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

For the filling;

  • Sweat the diced onion in butter with no colour, then add the fennel seeds.
  • Add the washed watercress, mix into the onion mix until the watercress is wilted, now add the 1/2 lemon zest. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  • Now add the flaked smoked trout.

To combine;

  • Add the filling, then the custard.
  • Now grate some of the Davidstow® 18 Month Extra Mature cheddar on top.
  • Bake this again at 155oC for 35 minutes. Allow to completely cool, before trimming the excess pastry on the edge, using a small knife.
  • Once completely cool, remove from the mould. “This recipe was inspired by a visit to one of my Cornish fish suppliers. We smoked and cooked a whole trout and when I tasted the Davidstow 18 month cheddar, I wanted to pair them together as it took me back to that day visiting Cornwall’s rugged fishing harbours.”

Recipe credit: Created by Lee Westcott for Davidstow®

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