Asparagus Quiche

Asparagus Quiche with Fresh Herbs

This Asparagus Quiche with Fresh Herbs is the perfect early summer lunch or supper recipe. In May and early June, bunches of seasonal fresh asparagus start to appear in the shops and it is time to look up recipes that make the most of it. It is the time of year when the weather becomes warmer and having a picnic or eating outside in the garden become more realistic prospects. It is also the time of year when outdoor concerts or plays, village fetes and sporting events start to take place. If you are looking for the perfect dish to take along to any of these, something easy, seasonal but luxurious, look no further than home-made Asparagus Quiche.

Asparagus Quiche

What you need to know about Asparagus Quiche with Fresh Herbs

  • I generally make my own pastry. It took me many years to realise how easy it is and I do think it tastes better than ready-made pastry. However, if making pastry is not your thing, or you have limited time, you can use ready-made shortcrust pastry. This will make this quiche even quicker and easier to make.
  • Make sure you use fresh asparagus. There are lots of different varieties, particularly if you go to a farmers market or farm shop, and any would be good in this recipe.
  • A great technique when you are preparing asparagus is to remove the base of each spear by bending it until it snaps. It will naturally break at the point where the woody and unpalatable stem meets the edible part of the spear.
  • Make sure you do not overcook the asparagus. This is the basic rule of cooking asparagus. You need to make sure it has a little “bite” and retains its unique flavour.
  • I generally flavour this quiche with a combination of dill and chives. However, you can choose any non-woody herbs that you prefer. Tarragon and lemon balm would also be excellent choices.
  • Mature cheddar is my cheese of choice in this quiche as I think it adds a bit of oomph to the asparagus without overpowering it. You can try other cheeses but I would steer clear of blue cheese.
  • You can eat this quiche either hot, warm or at room temperature. We will sometimes eat it hot with buttery boiled new potatoes for supper. It also is great at room temperature as part of a summer buffet or in a lunch box. If you are making it ahead of time, you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. Make sure that you bring it out of the fridge at least half an hour before you plan to eat it as it is not at its best if it is icy cold.
Asparagus Quiche

Other asparagus recipes

Every year, I look forward to early summer when fresh asparagus is in season. Nowadays, you can buy it all year round but I am a strong believer in eating seasonal, local food. This means that early summer is the time when I get to indulge my love of fresh asparagus. It is great treated simply, just steamed for a few minutes and then either eaten hot with butter or at room temperature with a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing.

However, it is also a fantastic basis for quiches and savoury tarts. In addition to this Asparagus Quiche, I also make an Asparagus Tart, using ready-made puff pastry, which is fantastic quick and easy lunch or supper dish. I also make a cold Asparagus and Pea Soup with Chervil which is great on a hot summer day either as a light lunch or as a starter for a dinner party.

There are many different types of asparagus with variation in colour, the most common is green asparagus but you can get purple and white, and also the thickness of the stems. If you look in your local farmers’ market or farm-shop at this time of year, you might be lucky and find a variety of different types.

Asparagus and Pea Soup with Chervil
Other quiche and tart recipes

Savoury tarts and quiches are a fantastic, cook-ahead simple supper or lunch. They are easy to make and are great either hot or at room temperature. They can also be easily divided into portions if you are feeding a large number of people. Easily transportable, they also make a good addition to lunch-boxes or basis for a picnic. Some of my favourites are listed below.

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Asparagus Quiche with Fresh Herbs recipe

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Asparagus Quiche

Asparagus Quiche

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
  • Category: Quiche
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English

Description

Asparagus Quiche with Fresh Herbs is the perfect early summer lunch, supper or picnic recipe – easy, seasonal, luxurious and great eaten hot or cold. 

Asparagus Quiche


Ingredients

Scale

For the pastry:

  • 275 g (10 oz) plain flour
  • 125 g fat (5 oz) I use a mix of half butter and half Trex as I think this makes the lightest pastry)
  • Salt
  • A little water

For the filling:

  • 15 asparagus spears
  • a large bunch of fresh dill or herb fennel (2 tablespoons when chopped)
  • a large bunch of fresh chives (2 tablespoons when chopped)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 100 ml (4 fl oz) double cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 75 g (3 oz) Cheddar or other full-flavoured cheese

Asparagus Quiche


Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl.  Add the fat and combine –  either by “rubbing in” by hand or processing – until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add a little cold water (2-3 tbsp) and shape the mixture into a dough.
  3. Roll out your pastry and use it to line a 25 cm quiche or flan dish.   Bake for 15 minutes in the oven to allow the pastry to “set”.  This will stop the filling making it soggy and ensure that the base is crisp.
  4.  Next, prepare the asparagus spears.  Remove the base of each spear by bending it until it snaps.  It will naturally snap at the point where the thicker, less palatable base section starts. 
  5. Either steam the asparagus spears for three minutes or plunge them into boiling water for the same amount of time.  This will partially cook the spears but retain their crunch and flavour.
  6.  Place the part-cooked asparagus spears in the pastry case. 
  7. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the cream, and beat until combined.  Grate the cheese and add to the mixture.  Then finely chop the dill (or herb fennel) and chives and also add to the bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and then pour it into the pastry case.  
  8. Place your quiche or flan dish in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

Notes

This Asparagus Quiche can be eaten hot, warm or at room temperature.

Keywords: asparagus, quiche, dill, chives

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with the Peachicks Bakery and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday 

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Asparagus and Pea Soup with Chervil

Asparagus and Pea Soup with Chervil

This Asparagus and Pea Soup is an easy and versatile spring or summer recipe.   It can be served either hot or cold and works well as a light lunch or supper or as a first course at a dinner party.

I make lots of soups in autumn and winter – a home-made vegetable soup is one of my favourite lunches – but not so many in spring and summer.  However, I have a few soups in my repertoire, like this Asparagus and Pea Soup (and also my Leek and Potato Soup with Fresh Chives) which are just as good, or better, eaten cold rather than hot.  This is fantastic in a typical English summer, with variable weather, as you don’t know when you are making the soup whether you will need warming up with a piping hot bowl or cooling down!

In praise of fresh herbs

I use chervil, which has a delicate aniseed flavour, in this soup.   It is one of my favourite summer herbs and is very easy to grow and will flourish in your garden or in a pot on your window-ledge.   If you don’t grow it yourself, it may be hard to source and dill, which also has an aniseed flavour, or parsley or chives are good substitutes. A sprinkle of fresh herbs are a brilliant way of enhancing both the flavour and the look of a home-made soup.

Other easy vegetarian soup recipes

I have lots of easy, vegetarian soup recipes. If you like this Tomato Soup, you might like some of the others. All my soups are vegetarian and all can be made vegan by substituting animal fats, such as butter, for vegetable fats. Some of them are pretty simple such as Tomato Soup, Fennel SoupJerusalem Artichoke Soup  or Sweetcorn Chowder and showcase a single vegetable. Others combine vegetables which have complimentary flavours such as Curried Parsnip and Apple SoupMoroccan Spiced Sweet Potato SoupCeleriac and Apple SoupMushroom and Chestnut SoupPumpkin and Sweetcorn Soup or Leek and Potato Soup. A few have more unusual combinations of flavours such as Beetroot Soup with Coconut or Butternut and Peanut Butter SoupNettle Soup uses foraged ingredients. I also have a few chilled soup recipes, which are fantastic cold in the summer, but can also be served warm such as Asparagus and Pea.

Other asparagus recipes

If you love asparagus, you might also like my Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart and my Asparagus Quiche.

Recipe for Asparagus and Pea Soup with Chervil

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Asparagus Soup

Asparagus and Pea Soup with Chervil

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: English

Description

Delicious and versatile, as it can be eaten hot or cold, this Asparagus and Pea Soup, enhanced with fresh Chervil, is perfect for a light lunch or as a first course at a summer dinner party.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 onion
  • 2 large potatoes
  • 50 g (2 oz) butter
  • 250 g (8 oz) fresh asparagus
  • 2 teaspoons of vegetable bouillon or stock powder
  • 500 ml (1 pint) water
  • 175 g (6 oz) frozen peas (defrosted)
  • A little milk to thin the soup – around 250 ml (Half a pint)
  • A bunch of chervil (or parsley or dill)
  • A little double cream to serve

Instructions

  1. Peel and chop the onion and the potatoes and put the pieces in a large pan with the butter.   Fry gently for about 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
  2. Remove the ends of the asparagus stems as these can be woody and difficult to eat. The best way of doing this is to simply bend the stem and it will snap at the right point.
  3. Once you have removed the woody ends from the asparagus, cut the tip off each spear and set aside.  Then chop the stalks into 1 cm sections.
  4. Add the pieces of chopped asparagus stalk to the pan with the onion and potato pieces.  Add 500 ml of water and 2 teaspoons of vegetable bouillon or stock powder.
  5. Simmer for around 15 minutes until all the vegetables are cooked.
  6. Then add the frozen peas and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  7. Put the soup into a blender (or use a hand blender) and process until smooth.
  8. Return the soup to the large pan.  Add sufficient milk to thin the soup to the desired consistency – you may either want a thicker, chunkier soup or a thinner one.
  9. If you plan to serve the soup hot, put the reserved asparagus tips into the soup and they will cook in it while it is reheated.   If you plan to serve the soup cold, it is best to steam the asparagus tips separately for 5 minutes and then add them to the soup just before serving.
  10. Serve topped with chopped chervil, or alternatively parsley, and a swirl of cream.

Notes

This soup is very versatile and can be served either hot or cold.

Keywords: asparagus and pea soup, asparagus, chervil, cold soup

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart is a really quick and simple supper or lunch dish and can be eaten hot or cold.   It uses ready-made puff pastry with a topping of lemon and herb flavoured cheese and fresh asparagus. You can make this recipe in around half an hour so it is perfect when you want to get something hot and tasty on the table in hurry.

What you need to know about this recipe

  • There is no shame in using ready-made puff pastry  – it makes things so much easier – but if you can find a brand that says it is made with butter it will taste so much better!
  • I combine plain cream cheese with garlic, lemon and herbs in this recipe as I like to choose my own flavourings. However, there are lots of ready-made garlic and herb cream cheese varieties. If you want to make this recipe even easier, you can use one of them rather than making your own.
  • In this recipe, I have used fennel, thyme, chives and parsley as I had to hand in my garden and which I think go well together and with the asparagus. However, you can use any herbs that you like. Others that would go well would be lemon balm, lemon thyme, dill and tarragon.
  • The one thing I would recommend keeping in, is the lemon zest.  Asparagus has an affinity with lemon and with dairy products – a traditional way of serving it is with buttery, lemony Hollandaise sauce – which highlights its fresh, grassy flavour.

Other asparagus recipes

If you like this Asparagus Tart recipe, you might also like my Asparagus Quiche. This is a different kind of recipe that is made with shortcrust pastry and contains a savoury custard filling studded with pieces of asparagus and fresh herbs. You might also like my Asparagus and Pea Soup which is flavoured with chervil and is a fantastic light summer soup.

Other quiche and tart recipes

Savoury tarts and quiches are a fantastic, cook-ahead simple supper or lunch. They are easy to make and are great either hot or at room temperature. They can also be easily divided into portions if you are feeding a large number of people. Easily transportable, they also make a good addition to lunch-boxes or basis for a picnic. Some of my favourites are listed below.

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart recipe

Print
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Asparagus

Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Tart
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English

Description

This Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart combines crisp buttery pastry with creamy cheese and fresh asparagus.  It is very quick and easy to make for a light lunch or supper.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 375 g (14 oz) pack of puff pastry (the brands made with butter are best!)
  • 200 g (7 oz) cream cheese
  • 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
  • Grated zest of half a lemon
  • A bunch of mixed herbs to taste  – I used fennel, thyme, chives and parsley – (finely chopped)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 7 or 8 stems of asparagus
  • Olive oil

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Roll your puff pastry out into a rectangle to fit your baking tray. Place it on the tray.
  3. Place the cream cheese in your mixing bowl and add the crushed garlic cloves, lemon zest and chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Spread the cheese mixture onto your pastry rectangle leaving about 2 cm clear around the edges.
  5. Remove the thyme leaves from the woody stems (keep the stems) and put them in a small bowl. Add the grated zest of your lemon along with the crushed garlic. Put your softened butter into the bowl and mash to combine with the other ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Remove the ends of the asparagus stems as these can be woody and difficult to eat. The best way of doing this is to simply bend the stem and it will snap at the right point.
  7. Place the asparagus on top of the cheese mixture on your pastry rectangle.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
  8. Place the baking tray into the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is crisp, golden and puffed up and the asparagus is soft.
  9. The tart can be eaten hot or at room temperature.

 


Keywords: asparagus tart, herb cheese tart