Tea Blog

You may have heard that there is an official dish of King Charles III’s coronation. The Coronation Quiche, which has a creamy filling of beans, cheese, and tarragon on a buttery crust. The King chose this dish because he eats 1-2 vegetarian meals a week and has a great love for eggs and cheese.

The Royal Family has released an official recipe for it but when I set out to make it, I had to make a few adjustments for American measurements.

To make Coronation Quiche, you’ll need:

Pastry:

2 cups & 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour (250g)
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, diced (50g)
5 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening (50g)
4-5 tablespoons milk
Or:
1 roll of refrigerated pie crust from a 14.1 ounce boxed package. These usually have two rolls in a box.

 Filling:
½ cup milk (125ml)
¾ heavy cream (175ml)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
Salt and pepper
100g (½ cup to 1 cup) grated cheddar cheese,
1 10-12oz bag of fresh spinach, cooked and lightly chopped or 1 10oz box of frozen spinach, defrosted
60g cooked fava beans or soybeans (2 ounces or a little less than ½ cup). If you are unable to find either type of beans, then try chickpeas.
x1 20cm Flan Tin or 8-9 inch tart pan

To make the pastry:

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your fingertips 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.

For the filling:

1. 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.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F
3. Line the pastry case with parchment paper, add baking beans or regular dry beans and bake blind for 15 minutes, before removing the parchment paper and baking beans.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
5. Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 35  to 45 minutes until set and lightly golden.

You could also try the classic Coronation Chicken. The dish was created in 1953 as “Poulet Reine Elizabeth” by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, who were both principals at the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London. iIt was believed to be served during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation reception.

In the seven decades since its creation, coronation chicken has become a classic British meal enjoyed by millions. It is a fun dinner you can make in a snap!

To make Coronation Chicken, you’ll need:

1 rotisserie chicken, cooled and meat removed and shredded or 6 cups of cooked chicken breast or thigh. Chicken breasts are usually standard but chicken thigh meat actually has more flavor.

1 cup of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of curry powder. It can be mild or spicy, depending on your preferences

1 tablespoon of dried apricots, finely chopped or sultana raisins, unchopped

1 tablespoon of cooking oil (i.e., olive, avocado, vegetable)

1 bay leaf

¼ cup of onion, diced

1 teaspoon of double concentrated tomato paste. These are sold in tubes at the local grocery store

¼ cup of white wine or white wine vinegar

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch of white sugar

¼ teaspoon brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of heavy cream or crème fraîche

Optional: 1 tablespoon of mango chutney. I add this because I love a good mango flavor to my curry!

Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.

Add in the onion, bay leaf and curry powder and gently cook for 2 minutes.

Add in the tomato paste, white wine and water and bring to a gentle boil.

Add in the lemon juice and the pinch of sugar, then season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Simmer for 2 minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced, then remove from the heat. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and allow it to cool.

In a large bowl mix together the prepared sauce with the mayonnaise, cream, and finely chopped apricots or whole sultanas. You can also add the mango chutney in this stage.

Add in the cooked chicken breast, and gently mix all the ingredients together. 

Serve in a sandwich, on a bed of lettuce, or on a baked russet (aka jacket) potato. 

God Save the King!

-CD