I had overseas visitors arriving after midnight last Friday, so I wanted to prepare some nibbly food to have with a relaxing chat and glass of wine before they headed for bed. A few small snacks and also something light but sustaining - I thought mini quiches would fit the bill. I added some dried basil to my usual pastry recipe, but basically use your favourite pastry recipe or pre-made puff pastry to fill a tart tin (usually 12 shallow places). Preheat the oven to 180 C.
For my filling, I cut only about a tablespoon or 2 of purple onion and two mushrooms in small pieces and divided among the pastry shells. If I didn't already have the onion waiting for use, I would have used a scallion (green onion) instead. By all means, use your own favourite fillings but remember these are 2-bite size, so you only need a small amount (eg, 1/2 cooked sausage, 1/2 cooked slice of bacon - chopped and divided between all!).
I beat 2 eggs with a splash of milk and divided between the pastry shells (about 2 spoons each).
The egg doesn't have to cover the fillings (as it will in cooking) and be careful not to overfill the pastry shells.
Slices of cheddar cheese are placed as the last ingredient and I have cracked some black pepper on top as a finishing touch.
Bake in the oven at 180 C for 15-20 mins. They will look like little souffles when fully cooked.
Once they start to cool, they deflate. Remove them from the baking tray and they can be served hot or room temperature. They are delicious!
