Quiche Lorraine

Preheat the oven to 200C/ gas mark 6.

First make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl, add the cubed butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Mix the egg yolks in a small bowl with 3 teaspoons of water then pour the egg yolks into the centre of the flour mixture.

Stir with a fork to bring everything together into a fairly firm, smooth dough. If it is too dry, add the remaining teaspoon of water. Knead lightly for a few seconds.

Then shape the dough into a cylinder, wrap in clingfilm and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Once chilled, roll the pastry out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a circle about 3mm thick.

Use to line a 23cm loose bottomed tart tin, about 4cm deep: carefully fold the pastry circle into four, making a triangle. Put the corner in the centre of the tart tin. Then unfold the pastry, making sure you get it right into the edges of the tin. Take a ball of the excess pastry the size of a walnut, wrap it in cling film and use it to press the pastry well into the edges of the tin.

Once the pastry is lining the tin snugly and overlapping the edges, run the rolling pin lightly over the top of the tin to cut off the excess pastry.

With your thumbs, press the pastry gently up the sides of the tin so it comes about 5mm above the top. Put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Now you need to bake the pastry blind. Remove the pastry case from the fridge and prick the base lightly all over with a fork. Take a large piece of baking parchment and scrunch it up, then unfold it and use to line the pastry case, covering the base and sides.

Fill the pastry case right to the top with baking beans or with rice or ordinary dried beans (you can keep them and reuse them endlessly).

Place the tin on a hot baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is dry to touch.

Remove the rice or beans and paper and return to the oven for five minutes, until the base is lightly coloured. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the bacon and cook gently for a few minutes, but do not let brown. Remove from the heat, drain off the fat from the bacon and leave to cool.

Lightly whisk the eggs, egg yolks, cheddar cheese and cream together and season well with salt and pepper.

Put the bacon into the pastry case then pour in the cream mixture over the top.

Put the quiche straight into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 150C/ gas mark 2 and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until pale golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.