“Quiche to me screams summer picnics, glasses of spritz, punnets of strawberries and so many other happy things,” says Scottish food writer Florence Stanton in her cookbook Part-Time Baker: Simple Bakes Without the Stress. These mini quiches are as versatile as they are satisfying: “Following a basic recipe for these eggy/cheesy bites, you can run wild to your heart’s content to incorporate any other ingredients that need using, or that are in season. Here, we’ve got a play on the Arnold Bennett omelette using smoked haddock, a ham and sun-dried tomato variation and a veggie option so the whole crowd should have something they like!”

Assorted coloured plates with miniature quiches and a hot pink fork

Mini Quiches

Florence Stanton's recipe for mini quiches with three different fillings (haddock, ham and veggie).

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Course Appetizer, Hors d'oeuvres, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine French

Servings 21 mini quiches

Ingredients

Base

11¼ oz (320 g) store-bought shortcrust pastry or see page 56 if you want to make your own
a little flour for dusting
mild cooking oil spray
2 large eggs
⅔ cup heavy cream
5½ oz (150 g) mature Cheddar or similar hard cheese (Gruyère is great) grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Filling 1

4½ oz (120 g) smoked haddock
⅓ cup milk
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

Filling 2

3 tbsp coarsely chopped Parma ham
3 tbsp coarsely chopped sundried tomatoes

Filling 3

1 red bell pepper deseeded and diced
baby spinach chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface as thinly as possible without tearing it – about ¼ in (5mm) thick. Lightly grease two 12-hole muffin or cupcake tins with oil and choose a cookie cutter that’s slightly wider than the holes in the tins.
Punch out about 21 rounds of pastry and place them into the tin holes. Line each quiche tart shell with a piece of baking paper or cupcake case and fill with raw rice or baking beans. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove (carefully removing the paper and rice/beans too) and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, cook the haddock by putting it in a pan with the milk and simmering over a low heat for about 5 minutes, then drain the milk and pat the cooked haddock dry with kitchen paper.
Make the filling by whisking together the eggs, cream, Cheddar and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Fill the par-baked tartlets about two-thirds full with the egg mixture, then add the filling variations. Put chopped Parma ham and sun-dried tomatoes in a third of the tarts; flake the fish and add this and some chives to another third (save some chives to serve); and finally, the spinach and red pepper to the final third.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.