Asparagus & Rhubarb Quiche

Directions

1. Flaky Rye Pastry
2. To make the pastry, combine the rye flour, strong white bread flour, sugar and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Add the cold butter and turn your mixer on to a low speed. If making the pastry by hand, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour, working as quickly as you can. Do this until the mix starts to resemble breadcrumbs, but you can still see some pea-sized pieces of butter in the mix.
3. Quickly incorporate the cold water until it comes together to form a very rough, crumbly dough. Tip onto a clean work surface and bring together into a dough - try to handle it as little as you possibly can!
4. Dust the surface with a little flour, then roll the pastry into a rough rectangle. Fold the top towards the middle, and the bottom over the top - imagine you are folding a piece of A4 paper to fit in an envelope (see pictures below for a guide). Don't worry if the dough feels crumbly.
5. Wrap the pastry well and place in the fridge to rest for at least two hours.
6. Once rested, grease your quiche tin (I use a 9-inch tin fluted one like this) with butter and preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out two thirds of the pastry to around 5mm thick. Don't worry if it is a touch crumbly, just stick it back together. Place the rolled pastry into the greased tart tin and ease into the corners, then place back in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
8. Once the pastry has chilled, push into the corners and fluted sides using your thumb, then trim off the excess pastry. Use a fork to prick the base, then place a scrunched-up piece of baking parchment in the tart and fill with baking beans.
9. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are only just starting to brown, then remove the baking beans. Brush a thin layer of the remaining egg white over the tart - this will help seal it and keep from going soggy later. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until just golden.

1. Quiche filling
2. Whilst the pastry bakes, prepare the quiche filling by whisking together the double cream, eggs, egg yolk, salt, pepper, and grated cheese. Roughly chop the basil and mix in, then place in the fridge to keep cool.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the rhubarb and asparagus by roughly chopping into small 1cm pieces.
4. Sprinkle the chopped rhubarb and asparagus into the blind-baked tart case, and pour in the prepared quiche mix to just below the top of the tart.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown and only a slight jiggle in the centre of the quiche. Allow to cool for at least an hour before serving.