The quiche, made with spinach, broad beans, cheese and tarragon, was 'personally chosen' by the King and Queen.
And the eggy delicacy, forever to be known as the Coronation Quiche, was subjected to its first official taste test yesterday when the Duke of Edinburgh (formerly known as Prince Edward) arrived at Westminster Abbey armed with the dish to share at a Big Lunch event - hosted by the Dean of Westminster. It was organised to inspire people to organise their own celebratory events, showing how food can bring together people of all faiths and backgrounds.
The idea is that it will form the centrepiece of street parties up and down the country, inspiring friends and neighbours to join forces to celebrate the Coronation on May 6. So, if you want to join in the fun and try your skills at creating Charles and Camilla's personal recommendation, here's the recipe, followed by a video of a chef creating the quiche - just to show you how simple it is.
Required: 1 x 20cm Flan Tin
Ingredients:
Pastry:
125g plain flour
Pinch of salt
25g cold butter, diced
25g lard
2 tablespoons milk
Or 1 x 250g block of readymade shortcrust pastry
Filling:
125ml milk
175ml double cream
2 medium eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon,
Salt and pepper
100g grated cheddar cheese,
180g cooked spinach, lightly chopped
60g cooked broad beans or soya beans
Method:
Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your finger tips until you get a sandy, breadcrumb-like texture. Add the milk a little at a time and bring the ingredients together into a dough. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick.
Line the tin with the pastry, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Line the pastry case with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes, before removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C.
Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
Scatter 1/2 of the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture.
If required gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed but be careful not to damage the pastry case.
Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.