Anna’s was my favorite place to eat when I had a day off  cooking at the Whitianga Hotel.  Another of my favorite quiches was a spinach quiche in phyllo dough with onion marmalade and gorgonzola cheese…too yummy!  The Kiwi’s and Aussies may be a world downunder but they truly know how to cook in the best tradition of a Crown Colony and in their own right.

Do enjoy this as a main-dish with a salad and glass of wine.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked pie crust
• 1 cup chicken sliced or shredded
• 1 portobello mushroom, sliced thin
• 1/2 small onion, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. basil pesto (homemade is best)
• 6 thin slices cream cheese (use dental floss to slice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg

Method:

1. Place pie crust in a 9-inch spring form cake pan with 2-inch sides.  Blind bake for 12 minutes at 400° F..
2. Reduce oven to 375° F.  Cool crust on a cake rack.
3. Sauté mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes, add onions and continue to cook until water dissipates.
4. Layer chicken over bottom of crust, spread mushrooms and onions over chicken, dot with basil pesto, and top with cream cheese slices.
5. Whisk eggs and half-and-half together with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
6. Pour batter over filling, sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes until eggs are set.  Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Pie Crust (modified pâte brisee)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 egg, whipped with 1 tsp cold water 

Method:

1. Cut butter into flour until its the consistency of cornmeal.
2. Make a well in center of the flour and pour in the egg.
3. Toss flour and egg together with a fork for 5 seconds and scoop up the whole bit onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  Pull the corners of the plastic wrap together and twist to form a ball.
4. Chill the ball of dough for 10 minutes.
5. Wipe your counter with a damp cloth, cover the damp area with plastic wrap, dust with a little flour, place ball of dough in center and flatten slightly, dust with a little flour, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap.  Roll out crust.
6. If you’re in a hurry, skip the chilling and rolling.  Just push the dough into your pie pan like playing with putty.  Once the dough is uniform in thickness throughout and sides are crimped, chill to set it.  Then blind bake as instructed above.