Mushroom Flan
For the pastry:
150g (5 1/2 oz) plain flour
70g (2 1/2 oz) butter, cut into small pieces, or hard margarine
For the filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
225g (8 oz) closed cup mushrooms, sliced
50g (2 oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 medium eggs, beaten
140ml carton of double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to Gas 6/200°C/400°F. To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl. Add the butter or margarine and then rub it in with the fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and fork through to make a firm dough. Roll out and use to line a 20cm (8-inch) flan dish. Prick the base with a fork. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with dried peas. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Take off the peas and greaseproof paper. Reduce the oven temperature to Gas 5/190°C/375°F. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion gently for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Scatter the mushrooms, onions, cheese and thyme over the base of the cooked flan case. Beat together the eggs, seasoning and cream and pour over the mushrooms. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
Serves 4