Savory Quiche Crust

There are plenty of reasons to quiche the cook -- and this crust is yet another one. Prepared with poppy seeds, garlic powder and other herbs, customize it to your tastes. No matter how you slice it, this is a perfectly prepared foundation for any quiche.

Ingredients

6 1/2 oz. plain flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. parsley (or herbs of your choice) 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds 1/4 tsp. poppy seeds 2 oz. lard 2 oz. butter, cut into cubes 2-3 tbsp. cold water

Methods/steps

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift the flour, salt and garlic powder into a mixing bowl. Add the parsley and seeds and stir to combine with a fork. Using a pastry blender cut in the lard and butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, tossing lightly with your fingertips or a fork until the dough forms a ball. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Place it carefully into a 10-inch quiche dish or loose-bottomed tart pan, easing the pastry in and being careful to to stretch it. I prefer to leave the excess dough and not trim it until after it's baked to allow for any shrinkage, but that is up to you. Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and weigh it down with pastry weights or dried beans. Bake 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and return to oven. Bake an additional 5 minutes until the pastry is set and beige in color. Use the flat side of a palette knife to press down on the edge of the tart pan to remove the excess crust. (This is the part that I eat!). Remove to cooling rack until ready to fill.