Makes 6 individual quiches. This recipe can also be made as one single 9- or 10-inch quiche.

Ingredients:

Filling

Short Crust Pastry (recipe below), or 1/2 pound purchased puff pastry dough, thawed according to package directions
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (not chopped or minced)
Cherry tomatoes (2 or 3 per quiche), such as Cherry Bomb or Black Cherries
½ cup /125 ml heavy cream, light cream, or part cream and part milk
2 large eggs
Dash nutmeg
A handful of arugula, coarsely chopped
3 ½ ounces (100 g) feta cheese, coarsely crumbled or chopped
Handful pine nuts

Short Crust Pastry for Savory Quiches

For a 10-inch (25 cm) crust:

1-3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
12 ½ tablespoons (180 grams) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons cold water

Instructions:

To prepare the Filling:

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Stir together the olive oil with the balsamic vinegar in a glass baking dish or pie plate. Season with a little salt and pepper and add the peeled and crushed garlic cloves. Toss the cherry tomatoes in the flavored oil and roast for about 20 minutes or until the skins of the tomatoes are split and shriveled and the tomatoes start to show signs of roasting (a bit golden). Remove from the oven and allow to cool while preparing the rest.

Place six 4-1/2-inch (11-cm) wide individual quiche tins on a baking sheet.

Divide the dough (recipe below) into six balls. Keep refrigerated unless you are rolling it.

Roll out a ball of dough on a floured work surface to a thickness of between 1/8-inch to just under 1/4-inch (3 - 5 mm), and line the tins, gently lifting in and pressing down the dough so as not to tear the dough. Trim the edges. Refrigerate the dough-lined tins until ready to fill and bake. This can also be done ahead of time. If you prefer, you can partially pre-bake the shells following the directions below.

Measure out the cream or cream/milk in a large measuring cup then whisk in the eggs until well blended. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Doing this in a measuring cup or glass recipient with a spout or pouring lip is ideal for pouring into individual or mini quiche/tartlet tins avoiding a mess.

Sprinkle a layer of chopped arugula then chopped or crumbled feta into each of the tartlet shells. Not too much as each is has a strong flavor.

Snuggle 2 or 3 roasted cherry tomatoes into the arugula and feta in each shell.

Whisk the quiche batter so it is blended and pour carefully into the shells on top of the arugula and feta, pouring around the cherry tomatoes to keep the tops of the tomatoes visible above the batter. Fill up each shell only about 2/3 or 3/4 full as it puffs up and rises as it bakes.

Sprinkle each quiche with pine nuts.

Slide the whole baking sheet with the filled quiche tins into the oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until the filling is puffed up and set. The top – or at least the edges – should be a deep golden or caramel color.

To Prepare the Short Crust Pastry for Savory Quiches:

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Add the cubes of butter, tossing to coat with flour so they don’t stick together. Using the tips of your fingers and thumbs, rub the butter and flour together rapidly as if pushing the butter into the flour until the mixture is crumbly and it resembles oatmeal. Do not overwork this mixture as the butter will melt and start to clump; it will be blended better later.

Add about 4 tablespoons of the cold water and blend very quickly with a fork. Add more water, as much as needed, onto the dry flour and continue to stir up from the bottom until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and the dough begins pulling together.

Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. With the heel of one hand, rapidly smear and push the dough, about a tablespoon at a time, away from you onto the work surface; this will complete the blending of the butter and the flour.

Scrape the dough up and gather it into a ball. Dust the work surface with more flour as needed. Knead gently and briefly, just enough to make a smooth, homogenous ball of dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll out easily.

To partially pre-bake: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Roll out the pastry dough, lift, fit, and press it gently but firmly into the tart tins, trim edges, and poke all over with a fork.

Place a piece of parchment paper or foil larger than the tin on each shell/crust and fill with pastry weights or dried beans.
Bake for 8 minutes, remove from the oven, carefully lift out the paper/foil and the weights/beans. Let cool.