Caramelized Onion & Cottage Cheese Quiche

I love any form of quiche; it's perfect for a layback-brunch with friends or picnic. This one has a homemade shortcrust pastry and is sweet and sticky as well as creamy and cheesy.

Photography, recipe and styling by Stéan Kruger.

When it comes to quiche, the possibilities are endless. The sweet caramelized, almost marmalade onions offers just the right amount of sweetness against the creaminess of the cottage cheese. To make the quiche even more delicious, I use my homemade shortcrust pastry recipe that is ridiculously easy to make and work with.

Serve: 6-8

Prep. Time: approx. 40 minutes

Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the shortcrust:

1-1/3 cup flour

½ cup butter, cold, cubed

¼ tsp salt

3 tbsp ice water

For the quiche:

2 brown onions, sliced thinly

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste

90g cottage -or cream cheese

4-5 eggs

1 cup sharp cheddar

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped finely

1/2 cup cream

salt & pepper

5-8 cherry tomatoes

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.

2. Thinly slice the onions and fry in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until translucent. Season with salt and add the vinegar, water and sugar to taste. Reduce the heat to a minimum and allow to gently simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the onions are tender, dark and sticky with a marmalade consistency. Add small amounts of water during the cooking process if necessary.

3. In the meanwhile, make the crust: Add the flour, cold butter and salt to a food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs. While pulsing, slowly drizzle in the cold water until a dough forms. Be careful not to add too much water as this will cause the crust to shrink while baking. Form into a ball, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

4. Flour a work surface and roll the dough out to fit a 24cm, lightly greased pie dish. The crust should extend 3cm up against the side of the dish. Use a fork to press the crust against the side of the dish and to make it look neat. Pre-bake for 15 minutes.

5. Arrange the onions and teaspoon-sized scoops of cottage cheese evenly on the pre-baked crust.

6. In a large pitcher, mix the eggs, cheddar, parsley and cream together. Season with salt and pepper. Gently pour the mixture into the crust. Bake at 170°C for 35 minutes or until golden and set.

7. In a pan, fry the tomatoes until shiny and blistered. Season and arrange on the baked quiche.

8. Garnish with torn basil leaves. Serve hot.

Notes:

• If the dough shrunk down against the side of the dish, use a fork to push the dough upwards against the side of the dish before adding the egg mixture.

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