Reasons to Like Baking Mad

Sometime ago, in the course of a conversation,  I was asked to take a look at

BakingMad.com is a website to like and here are some of the reasons why:

• Its experts' baking tips: from scones to chocolate cupcakes, 
• not only experts advise, there is also a forum and opportunities to ask direct questions
• It is full of ideas and inspiration under one roof, classified by occasions and by categories
• Recipes are easy to follow.

 Part two of the assignment was to choose a recipe and to cook it. I wanted to go for one of my own classics. To me, it seemed much more challenging to reproduce something familiar then an unknown. I went for Quiche Lorraine which strangely enough I have never posted, though I tend to create it regularly.

 Quiche Lorraine

according to the BakingMad recipe

Preparation
Time 30 minutes
Baking Time 40 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
For the pastry

200 grams plain white flour

100 grams butter

1 pinch salt
For the filling

150 grams bacon, snipped
3 eggs
150 ml milk
4 tbsp double cream
75 grams grated Cheddar

Method:

You will need a 20 cm round, loose bottom flan tin

1. To make the pastry, place the flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until you have a soft breadcrumb texture. Add enough cold water to make the crumb mixture come together to form a firm dough, and then rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to the thickness of about a £1 coin. Lift the pastry over the rolling pin, then drape the pastry over the tin and press into the base and up the sides. Trim the edges. Place in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 220c, 200c fan, Gas 7. Line the pastry case with a circle of baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake the pastry case for 10 minutes until pale golden. Remove the baking parchment and beans and return the pastry case to the oven for a further 5 minutes until golden and crisp. lower the oven temperature to 190c, 170c, fan. Gas 5.
4. In a dry frying pan, fry the bacon for 2-3 minutes until just tender and golden. Place in the pastry case.
5. Beat the eggs, milk and cream together with a little black pepper and pour over the bacon. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 25 mins, or until golden and softly set (the centre should not feel too firm)        

My verdict 

• Very easy recipe to follow.
• The quiche was moist and tasty.
• Completely different taste from my own: this is much lighter, I missed the taste of nutmeg but the addition of cheddar is a good idea
• Don't be tempted to skip any step, especially the blind baking. There is a lot of butter in the pastry and without baking blind it would get soggy.

NB: BakingMad also has special offers discounts, competitions and its very own famous Chef Eric Lanlard. Eric has a programme on channel 4 about baking and a dedicated page on BakingMad http://www.bakingmad.com/baking-with-eric