Tag: England

Broccoli & Stilton Quiche – Rye, England, 2019

I’ve been having a few holiday blues.  You know that time where the last one feels like a long time ago and the next one seems like a long way away.  So,  I thought that it might help my malaise to revisit some of my favourite meals from holidays past.

Rye was our first stop on our holiday this year and I ate an incredibly tasty Broccoli and Stilton quiche from the Rye Deli.

Broccoli & Stilton Quiche1

Rye is such a pretty town and full of antique and retro shops.  Well worth a visit!  If you are heading to the UK and want a great quiche and some cool glassware!  I bought some repro Babycham and Martini glasses. And some gorgeous vintage Laura Ashley cups and saucers.

 

Rye Glassware

The only things is…a bag full of glassware and a Broccoli and Stilton quiche are not good bag fellows.  I spent the day shopping and loading myself up with all the gorgeous glasses.  Meanwhile, my lovely quiche was getting squished to bits in my bag. It still tasted delicious but was certainly not in the pristine condition in which I bought it!

Broccoli & Stilton Quiche2

I love quiche but tend to veer towards the classic Quiche Lorraine or a Spinach and Feta quiche as my go-to’s.  The Broccoli and Stilton Quiche squashed and battered though it was after a few hours of being pummelled in my backpack was a revelation.  Such a tasty combination!

And also so pretty! I love how the swirls and branches of the broccolini (which I used instead of broccoli) look like little plants, making this quiche look like some sort of whimsical garden

Because I was trying to keep it British, I used a recipe I found on the Ocado website.   However, in all honesty, this recipe was not as good as my original quiche from the Rye Deli.  I think it was the onions. I don’t recall any in the OG version but do like the way the rounds of the spring onion play off against the straight stems and the flowery whirls of the broccolini. So, my recommendation would be to halve the amount of spring onions and cook them off a bit first.

Apart from the antiquing and the fab quiche, great fish and chips and a v good bookstore,  Rye has some great olde worlde pubs

Rye1

.A very cool castle, complete with stocks for anyone misbehaving!

 

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And literary cred galore!

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My only peeve with Rye was that we arrived just after 9:00 pm.  And everywhere except for the fish and chip shop had closed or stopped serving food for the night.  This was in the height of holiday season so it was kind of surprising.  Having said that, the fish and chips were great so all was not lost.

If you can’t get to Rye, you can always get a taste of it by making a Broccoli and Stilton Quiche!  If you can get to Rye, get there before 9:00 pm!

Have a great week!

 

 

 

Oysters with Rhubarb Mignonette

Whilst in England earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit the Oyster Festival at Whitstable.  This is a 3 day celebration of all things oyster, dating back to Norman times.  It was a great day, there was a market and music, a fun fair and as much seafood as you could poke a stick at!  The seaside town of Whitstable is also lovely with some great shops and eateries.  Well worth a visit even if the festival isn’t happening. 

Oysters with Rhubarb MignonetteHow to best to celebrate this day and the humble oyster but with another quintessentially English ingredient… rhubarb! 

Whitstable Then and NowWTF??? Yep, rhubarb.  Sounds weird but bear with me…it really works.  Meantime, here’s some pics from the Oyster Festival.

Whitstable Oyster Festival6Whitstable Oyster Festival12While we were in Whitstable, we had our oysters with a traditional mignonette which is chopped shallots, red wine vinegar and cracked black pepper.  I jazzed mine up with some very finely chopped rhubarb.

Rhubarb MignonetteRaw rhubarb has a sharp, clean, crisp, sour taste  – imagine sour green apples mixed with celery which mixes perfectly with the red wine vinegar and shallots in a traditional mignonette, plus it makes it a glorious pink colour!

Rhubarb Mignonette2Of course, if you want a traditional mignonette, you can use this recipe from Bon Appetit.  But why not take a teeny step into the wild side and try this?  It is really lovely!

Rhubarb Mignonette3Any leftover mignonette can be used as a delicious dressing for any salad greens!

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Oysters with Rhubarb Mignonette

A fresh and tangy take on a traditional mignonette.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 freshly shucked oysters
  • 1/2 stick rhubarb, finely chopped
  • 2 French shallots, finely chopped
  • 80ml red wine vinegar
  • Pinch of sugar
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients except oyster in a small bowl.
  2. Leave for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
  3. When ready to serve, spoon rhubarb mignonette over oysters.
  4. Enoy!

Leftover rhubarb can be used in:

The Dishiest Dish – Rhubarb, Rose and Passionfruit Sorbet

Dishiest Dish – Apricot and Rhubarb Frangipane Tarts

Future Classics – Australian Table – August 2001

Whitstable 14

Have a wonderful weekend!

Signature 1 Vintage Valentine Quick as Wink2
 

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