Mamta's Kitchen

Salmon Flan (Quiche) With Ricotta Cheese

Salmon Flan (Quiche) With Ricotta Cheese

Mamta Gupta

FishMainSeafoodSnack

Flans are easy to make, especially if you use ready-made short crust pastry, which is what I have used here. Filling can be whatever you fancy. I will recommend not using low fat milk here. Otherwise your pastry will get soggy during cooking. They are excellent served either hot or cold and make a great addition to a buffet or a picnic. Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 500 gm. ready to roll short crust pastry. You can use already rolled one too or make your own Pastry

  • For the filling:

  • Vegetables of choice. Here I have used a bunch of chopped spring onion greens and rocket lettuce leaves. You can use what you have/want.

  • 200 gm. Ricotta cheese. You substitute with Paneer. It is available in most supermarkets and all Indian supermarkets in UK

  • 100 ml. full cream milk

  • A tin of salmon or tuna fish, drained

  • 100 gm. mature cheddar, grated. Parmesan or other cheese (see notes) of choice can also be added.

  • 3 large eggs

  • A good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper (I did not need this here, because my mackerel was liberally sprinkles with black pepper)

  • 1/4-1/2 tsp. chilli flakes or a couple of green chillies, chopped (optional)

  • Salt to taste (be careful, because mackerel is quite salty

  • 8-9 inch round or oblong flan dish. Use an oblong one, if using ready rolled pastry

  • Oven temperature; 190C or 375F or Gas mark 5.

Instructions

  1. Pastry, if making your own;

  2. Sift flour in a largish bowl, add a pinch of salt and the butter. Mix with your fingers or in a food processor, until it looks like breadcrumbs.

  3. Add egg yolks and mix them in, pressing to make dough. If required, add a little cold water, a sprinkle at a time, and make firm dough. Be careful. It does not need a lot of water. You can knead the dough by hand or with a dough hook.

  4. Cover with a cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

  5. Making the Quiche

  6. Dust the kitchen table or rolling board with flour and roll out the pastry into about 4-5 mm. thick, a 25 cm. or 10 inch diameter circle, or an oblong to fit your dish. You may like to roll it on top of a wax paper, which can then be lifted into the flan dish easily, along with the wax paper. This way, once cooked, the whole dish can be lifted out of the flan dish with ease and placed on a wooden board for serving.

  7. If rolled on the work top directly, lift the pastry off by gently rolling it onto the rolling pin. Now unroll it onto a buttered flan dish. Press gently to fit into the corners and sides, reaching slightly over the edges. If using ready rolled pastry like Jus Roll, simply unroll onto your dish, pressing it in gently.

  8. Cover with a wax paper and leave in the fridge again for 25-30 minutes. This stops shrinkage during baking.

  9. Preheat the oven to 190C or 375F or Gas mark 5.

  10. Remove the pastry case from the fridge. Trim the edges off the pastry with a sharp knife. You can leave the edges untrimmed, giving it a more rustic look.

  11. Now fill with baking beans (not baked beans) on top of the wax paper! This is to stop it from ballooning during baking. If you don't have baking beans, you can press it with another flan dish that is slightly smaller and fits inside the main dish.

  12. Bake blind (without any filling) for approximately 20 minutes, until it is set and lightly crisp.

  13. Remove the foil or wax paper and baking beans. Return to the oven for another five minutes, so that the inside corners are also cooked well. Take it out.

  14. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3.

  15. Spread vegetables and fish evenly, in layers, over the pastry case.

  16. Place eggs, Ricotta cheese, milk, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and herbs in a bowl, along with any extra spice you are using.

  17. Beat lightly, do not over beat. Fold in half the cheddar cheese and pour over the quiche.

  18. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

  19. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the centre of the oven, until just set. It should be a little wobbly, but not runny.

  20. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. It will set further.

  21. Serve at room temperature or hot with salad of choice.

Notes

  • You can use different types of cheeses, like Gruyère, Parmesan, Stilton and cheddar mix or anything else you like.

  • Use Any one or few of vegetables like very thinly sliced courgettes/aubergines, a few peas, chopped broccoli, carrots, sliced red/green pepper, sliced mushrooms, asparagus tips, tinned or cooked corn kernels. Stir fry the vegetables you want to use a little. This will enhance their flavour.

  • Add a few peeled prawns.

  • Add a few chopped green chillies or coarsely ground red chillies.

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