As much as I love cooking, I keep a busy schedule and am generally rather disorganised when it comes to bring-a-plate parties. So, unsurprisingly, it’s a Saturday morning, and I find myself thoroughly unprepared for a barbecue this evening. Not to be defeated, though, I turn to old faithful, also known as my Little Baby Quiches.
The original recipe is from a fabulously 80s cookbook book called Fresh Food Cooking for Finger Foods, and features other such brilliant recipes as Salmon Mousse, Walnut Apricot Chicken Ball and Curried Trim Lam Vol au Vents. Seriously entertaining stuff! However, nestled in amongst the iceberg lettuce salads and other Aussie-French culinary mish-mash lies a delightful little recipe for Ham and Egg Pies. They’re simple, quick, extremely adaptable, and absolutely delicious.
I’ve nicknamed them my Little Baby Quiches, partly because of their 80s origins, and partly because of a particularly entertaining line from the Kath and Kim TV series — “little baby cheeses (little baby jesus)” — which always makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.
The best things about these “Quiches” is that they’re accommodating to any palette. The original recipe features only ham, parsley and cheese, but I tend to add whatever I’m in the mood for: olives, feta, spring onions — but you could easily throw in any little morsel. I’m keen to try caramelised onion and goats cheese next. It’s easy to split a batch to include half vegetarian quiches, which means it’s easy to cater for any vegos in the crowd. And finally, with prep and cooking time taking less than 25 minutes total, they’re a cinch to whip up.
Ingredients
- 2-3 sheets puff pastry
- 2 slices shaved champagne ham, finely diced
- 25g feta
- 25g olives (green or black), finely diced
- a handful of tasty cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup (125ml) milk
Method
- Using a scone cutter (or a small cup or glass) cut out 24 rounds of puff pastry to fit small patty cake tins.
- Divide the ham, feta, olives and cheese amongst the pastry-lined patty tins as desired.
- Beat together the eggs, milk and parsley, and pour or spoon a small amount of this mixture over the ingredients in the patty tins.
- Bake at 200oC for 15 mins or until puffed and golden.
Serves 24, warm or cold
Adapted from Fresh Food Cooking for Finger Foods
Oh Sweet Baby Quiches. They look so good. Great Photos Julia!
A mate of my inlaws, her signature dish is pinwheels. Similar to your idea, but you sprinkle cheese and bacon etc over the puff pastry, roll it up, cut it into disks and pop it in the oven. Really quick and easy, and it gets a great response from the gathering. I heart easy food!
Thanks darl! I get the most wonderful light through the kitchen windown as the sun sets of an afternoon. It gives the food this “country kitchen” feel (Martha would be so proud!).
The only problem with “easy quickies” is that they’re as simple to whip up as they are to wolf down! Gadzooks!
[...] Little Baby Quiches [...]