Bacon and Broccoli Quiche

I've never made quiche before, so this required a bit of research and testing. While the use of a meat thermometer might seem a bit of extra faff, it's worth it to get a perfect quiche texture every time.

Ingredients

• 320g ready rolled shortcrust pastry
• 100g pancetta cubes
• 1/2 head of broccoli, finely sliced
• 3 eggs
• 300ml double cream
• 75g grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Grana Padano

Method

1. Take the pastry out of the fridge to warm up to room temperature for at least 10 minutes.
2. Roll the pastry out over a buttered flat or quiche tin and cut excess edges off (great for making jam tarts).
3. Put the prepared tin into the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
4. When ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
5. Place the small broccoli pieces in a microwave proof dish with a tbps of water and cook on high for 4 minutes.
6. Put the pancetta cubes in a frying pan with a couple of millimeters of water over a high heat and stir every couple of minutes for about 10 minutes until it starts to brown.
7. Whisk the eggs and double cream in a mixing jug - this can be done ahead of time and possibly leads to a better texture if you do it while preparing the pastry (but I have no evidence for that statement).
8. Place the frozen pastry dish into the oven with a layer of greaseproof paper and oven beans for 10 minutes.
9. When the 10 minutes is up, remove the paper and baking beeds and place the cooked bacon and broccoli into the dish.
10. Carefully pour the cream and egg mixture over and spinkle with the cheese.
11. Return to the oven and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until a thermometer reads 71 degrees Celisus (the range on this can vary wildly depending on the oven).
12. Leave to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.