I think I first whipped these up for some sort of bring and share party years ago and have made them countless times ever since. For me they are reliably easy and delicious and have always been gobbled as quick as a flick. I always just keep a roll or two of supermarket ready-rolled shortcrust pastry in the freezer for whenever the whim takes me. That element makes these a really speedy bake with fast and yummy results.
I
used them a lot in the early days of weaning too, good for little
hands and very transportable! I usually stick with my favourite bacon and cheese filling but have done broccoli,
chopped fresh tomatoes, herbs, fish and all sorts. You can add
whatever you like.
Makes
24. Halve if you like.
2
rolls
of shortcrust
pastry,
defrosted or out of the fridge for a few minutes.
6
eggs,
beaten
120g
finely grated mature
Cheddar
4-6
slices ham/ 6-8
rashers streaky bacon,
fried
and snipped up small.
100ml
milk of your choice
Start
by heating your oven to 200C.
Get
your pastry out of the fridge and unroll it. It can be a bit stubborn
to unfurl that last bit without tearing so go gently and slowly and
let it relax once you've unrolled the first bit.
Lay
your patty pan next to your pastry ready to fill.
Take
a cutter or glass that fits your tray. My glass and cutter for a
shallow patty pan both measure 8.5cm
Cut
12 circles and lay them in your tray.
In
a measuring jug or small mixing bowl, break and beat your eggs with a
fork.
Add
the milk, grated cheese and ham or
bacon
pieces and stir well.
Use
a dessert or
soup spoon to fill the pies, as pouring can be a bit messy.
Take
care to leave a narrow
gap
for the eggy mixture to rise up or they'll all overflow.
Bake
for approx 15-20 minutes, checking and rotating the trays at 10
minutes.
They really puff up tall like a souffle but relax down a little as they cool.
Top
Tip:
When
I used to make these I always estimated the filling by eye. All eggs
vary, and your pies may be a different depth so do make a note of
what works for you. You may need to add a dash more milk to make it
stretch or you may find you have a little left over. Halve
or double
the quantities and make trays and trays full. You can freeze the pies
once cooked and eat cold or whizz back in the oven or microwave.
Also,
I used oat milk the last time I cooked these and it was just as
scrummy.
