Almost finished...
At least two or three times a week we have meals that don’t involve any fish or meat, like more and more people do these days. This gives you loads of opportunities to try out different ideas. This is a simple pastry flan started by Brian and finished by me. He likes making pastry in the Kenwood so who am I to stop him? Brian’s current favourite pastry for this is made from 50/50 wholemeal and plain flour, unsalted butter and a little yoghurt/sourcream or whatever we have in that department. It’s the same pastry as the one for the apricot bakewell slice only in a larger quantity.
I have recently discovered that you can roll pastry out between sheets of clingfilm and it is really easy compared to the mess I used to get into. I was the original “I can’t make pastry” person, but I’m more confident these days and it all seems to come out pretty well, a far cry from the board-like stuff that I remember making.
We didn’t blind bake it, just chilled it once it had been rolled out. Then I filled the case with a mixture of garden veggies: gently sweated chard, green beans, and the last of the spring onions, added some cherry tomatoes and chestnut mushrooms, whipped up a mixture of free range eggs with some home made strained yoghurt and added some cubes of Rocquefort blue cheese.
On go the eggs
Pie for tea
Are you a solo cook? Or do you like cooking together with someone else? And if you do cook with someone else, how do you organize it?
Zeb Bakes 
Oh, Joanna, that looks so amazing!!! I love cooking by myself, but these days, we’re so pressed for time, I need an “assistant” (=hubby) to get dinner on the table in time. I just boss him around – he takes all of the ingredients out of the fridge, puts stuff away, starts the dishes. But we also use it as our grown-up visiting time! =)
May I say that that quiche looks superb. My mouth is watering just looking at it.
For big projects (10-50 people) I have my sister work as assistant- chopping, dicing, getting the ingredients ready to use.
For smaller dinners, breads, whatever, I like to cook solo. Although I do work well with my niece in her kitchen space. My d-i-l and I are both good cooks, but our styles are completely different, so I usually offer to clean up afterward.
My husband does NOT cook- although he makes toast for breakfast.
I am kind of bossy- but have learned the efficacy of silence and diplomacy in the kitchen.
Mouth watering looking tart and thanks for the pastry tip. I did make some successful pastry this weekend, but will follow your lead and try adding some yogurt next time (assuming I remember as I make pastry infrequently).
I love being able to cook together and we have always done so when we’ve had decent sized kitchens, (we’ve done a lot of long term house sitting over the years). Like Abby, I used to do the “bossing” and everything was so much faster and so much more companionable. Now we only have a kitchen big enough for one – from time to time we try to do something together but end up bumping into each other and getting cross. So it’s solo only these days.
Hi Abby – I think that’s great that you have grown up visiting time while you cook :)
I’ve never cooked for 50 people in my life Heidi – I think the most I ever cooked for was about 15 one Christmas, with borrowed crockery and furniture in a small flat! And I think I still have to learn silence and diplomacy ;)
Small kitchens do not lend themselves to shared cooking, you are so right Choclette! but curiously neither do long runs of deep pull out drawers, as you are always standing in front of the drawer that the other person wants the bowl from :)
Usually a solo effort from me. Mr Chocolate was helping last night but we were just getting under each others feet…(making bread at dinner time in a small kitchen probably wasn’t the best choice.)
I LOVE making pasta with someone else though.
Bread making always seems to run into dinner making here too (not to mention chutney making). Brydie, what’s special about making pasta with someone else, now I’m curious? Are you talking about making the pasta from scratch? On my list of to do’s still…
Yep making pasta from scratch. I used to do egg pasta when I had access to fresh eggs but now we just make semolina and water pasta. For me, actually both of us, it’s such an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. I think because you have to stop, go slower, and not get distracted by other things. It doesn’t seem to happen that often, so really enjoyed when it does.
I posted about it awhile ago.
Read Brydie’s pasta making post here!
Yum! Please cut me a slice, I’ll be there in a minute…
What a gorgeous combination of fillings! Definitely a dish you could eat with your eyes as much as your taste buds… xx
Beautiful, Jo! I do love a garden quiche, although I can’t ever call it ‘quiche’ because hubby refuses to eat it (yes that ridiculous phrase about real men, blah blah – must send him over here to read the title of your post!). To get around this I announce it as an egg and ‘something enticing’ pie. Usually works.
I enjoy cooking with others, and surprisingly the kids are a lot of fun and actually very helpful! Who would’ve thought! :)
There’s always a slice for you Celia :) Will be expecting to see your garden filled pies any day now ….
Heehee, Christine, yes a bit of a silly title, maybe I should have called it Real People Eat Vegetable Pie. I’m surprised nobody has yet said, “Actually that’s not a quiche, a quiche is from Lorraine and has lardons in it” To which I would have replied “Well, that’s not strictly true, the quiche ‘actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word quiche comes from the German word Kuchen…….” and I would have pretended I knew all that way before about a minute before I wrote this comment ;) Tell Hubby that he is eating medieval German farmer’s food, that should do the trick!
mmm, a fine looking quiche. Do you know I’ve never made one and yet I love pastry and eggs. One to add to my long long list of recipes to try :)
Hi Nic, thank you ! I have only recently been doing pastry, and then with help!
Wow – that quiche looks stunning. I only wish the husband in this house would find an urge to cook.
I’ve never been much good with pastry either – it is always a bit hit or miss when I try.
Hello Amanda, nice to meet you and thanks for the lovely comment :) I see you are an Ottolenghi fan like Celia. I’m more of a bread maker than anything else, occasionally trying my hand at cakes and pastry too, sometimes with very mixed results.