Spinach & cheese tray bake
I’m all for dishes that can be prepared ahead of time to take the stress out of cooking for a group, so this tray bake – actually, I think of it as a cross between a pie and a quiche – is perfect. It can be cooked a few days ahead of Mother’s Day and is best served at room temperature so there’s no last-minute dashing to the oven.
2 sheets shortcrust pastry 200g cream cheese 1⁄3 cup milk
1⁄3 cup cream
4 eggs
1 cup cheese, grated –
I use a mix of cheddar and Parmesan
300g spinach, wilted and drained well, chopped
4-6 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper Chutney, to serve
1 Heat oven to 180°C. Put in an oven tray to heat up. Line a 25cm x 32cm sheet pan/tart tin with baking paper.
2 Roll the pastry out slightly thinner than it comes and line the sheet pan with pastry. Trim the edges.
Chill in the freezer while you make the filling.
3 Beat together the cream cheese, milk, cream and eggs until combined. Don’t worry about any lumps of cream cheese as they will melt on cooking. Stir in the grated cheese, spinach, spring onions and seasoning.
4 Retrieve the pastry shell from the freezer, prick all over the base with a fork, then pour in the filling until it reaches the top of the crust.
5 Place on a hot oven tray and bake for 25-30 minutes until dark golden and the base is cooked.
6 Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with your favourite chutney.