Originating in the seventeenth century, this is the original quiche, a mix of egg and bacon. Although not traditional, adding 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese to the tart pastry adds a great savoury texture. For a more flaky pastry, blind bake pie shell before filling it. Delicious served as a light meal with a crisp green salad, or as a starter.

Tart pastry
1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2t salt
125g cold butter, cubed to 1cm
Iced water (cold water with ice cubes in a jug)

Filling
2T butter
±250g streaky bacon, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup double cream or crème fraîche
Salt and pepper
Grated nutmeg

1. Tart pastry
2. Place the flour, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse, until mixture forms crumbs – do not over process (alternatively rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips to form breadcrumb texture).
3. With the motor running, add a little water at a time, until a soft dough ball forms. Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 30 minutes (this gives the dough time to relax and stops shrinking when rolling).
4. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to 3mm. Use the pastry to line a 24cm loose bottomed tart tin. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or until needed (or if in a hurry place in the freezer for 10 minutes).
5. Filling
6. Preheat the oven to 210°C.
7. Heat the butter in a frying pan, then fry the bacon until lightly coloured. Transfer to paper towels and allow to drain and cool.
8. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
9. Scatter the bacon over the base of the pastry case, carefully pour in the egg mixture and place into the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the filling has set and the top is coloured, then remove from the oven, and allow to stand for five minutes before serving.

Gives 6 to 8 slices

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs Johannesburg cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. We offer a variety of Cooking Classes. Cooking lessons are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.