Courgette, Lardons, Comte Quiche with Chickpea Pastry

I have been dreaming of the quiche I had at the Chelsea Physic Garden last week and have come up with my own version. I knew that I had to go heavy on the cheese and I've used Comte here but Gruyere would also be delicious. I tried out a new savoury pastry using chickpea flour/gram flour and a little bit of spelt which was more delicate but the eggs tend to seal everything together when the filling goes in. I would use almost all of the pastry to create a good tart base as it's delicate and can crack easily. This was made for dinner one evening here in the south of France and it was gobbled up in seconds. I highly recommend it!

Serves 10
Ingredients:
For the chickpea pastry
280g chickpea flour/gram flour
50g spelt flour
2 tsp poppyseed
1/2 tsp sea salt
180 cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 medium free-range egg yolk

For the filling
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 banana shallots, thinly sliced
2 medium courgettes, thinly sliced
200g smoked lardons
200g Comte cheese, grated
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 medium free-range eggs, lightly beaten
handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
sea salt and black pepper

Begin with the pastry and add both flours, poppyseed, salt and butter into a mixer with the paddle attachment. Set at a medium speed until the mix starts to blend together and become crumbly. This will take about 5 minutes. Then add the egg yolk and it should start to come together into a ball and if not use your hands to blind it. Wrap pastry up in cling film and leave to rest for an hour in the fridge.

Lightly butter a 10inch loose-bottom tart dish and use a grater to grate the pastry into the dish. Use your hands to neatly mould it round the tart dish. Do not worry if you have a little left over as your dish maybe not need all of it. Place a sheet of baking parchment over the tart dish and either add in some baking beans or some rice will do. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 170 degree oven and then carefully remove the beans and blind bake for another 5-10minutes until the top is lightly golden.

While the pastry is cooking you can start on the filling. In a frying pan on a medium to high heat add the lardons and sliced shallots to fry until caramelised and crisp. This will take about 10-15 minutes. Use another large frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the olive oil followed by the sliced courgette to fry and after 5 minutes you can add the diced garlic. Move everything around the pan and season with salt and pepper frying for another 5 minutes until the courgettes are golden. Season the beaten eggs with salt, pepper, torn basil and grated cheese and place into the tart case. Then top with the lardons and shallots mix. Spread everything evenly around the tart and then top with the courgettes trying to arrange them in a nice pattern. Place into the oven for 25-30 minutes until the tart is firm to touch and has risen above the tart base. Remove from oven and leave to cool a little before serving. Tart can be eaten hot or cold and is delicious with a crunchy green salad.

Bon! x