Asparagus Quiche

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C gas 4.
• Roll out the pastry nice and thin, and line a 36cm x 12cm x 3cm deep rectangular loose bottomed flan tin. Make sure you have a nice high lip above the edge of the tin.
• Dock with a fork then chill well and line with baking parchment and baking beans.
• Cook the flan until the pastry is just set but with not too much colour.
• Remove from the oven and carefully the beans with a dessert spoon so you don’t damage the pastry.
• Brush with beaten egg white and return to the oven to set and seal the pastry well.
• Next peel the bottom few centimetres of the spears so they will fit into the cooked base nice and snugly. Make sure you have plenty to pack in.
• Once you have enough, chop the cut off pieces nice and small (same size as the onions) and add to the onions and cook with 3-4 tbsp of oil to soften.
• Once softened spoon into the base of the flan tin.
• In a separate pan add the 4-5 tbsp olive oil and gently sauté the spears with a salt and pepper to get a nice colour and cook through slightly.
• Once cooked pack the spears nice and neatly on the onions side by side and nice tight.
• Whisk the eggs, yolks and milk together well and season with salt, pepper and ground coriander.
• Place the flan tin on a baking tray and place in the oven, then carefully pour in the custard until the flan is really full.
• Cook until just set probably 30-35 minutes. 
• Remove from the oven when just set, then leave to cool at room temperature.
• Cut across the flan with the asparagus so you end up with a neat looking perfect quiche, and finely grate over a little fresh Gruyere cheese just before serving, the cheese must not melt.