spinach quiche

Nagi Maehashi’s selected spinach quiche uses her miniature spinach-and-cheese version, with garlic-butter spinach inside small pastry cups. The recipe selects one filling for each batch, represented here by spinach with Gruyère.

Purchased shortcrust sheets are cut into rounds and pressed into oiled muffin tins. The bases are pricked and briefly baked without weights before cooling for filling.

Garlic cooks briefly in melted butter, then sliced baby spinach wilts in the same pan. A separate mixture of eggs, heavy cream, salt and black pepper is whisked for the custard.

A pinch of the selected grated Gruyère goes into each shell, followed by a teaspoon of the cooked spinach and a spoonful of egg mixture. Further baking lightly colours the tops; the small quiches puff and then settle.

Maehashi presents these quiches as small party food and prefers them warm, while also describing room-temperature service. The cooked spinach, melting cheese and small pastry cups distinguish this selected version.