Party Quiches

One pastry, one custard base, four wildly different fillings. These party quiches turn a single batch of pastry and a basic milk-and-egg custard into a four-flan spread that looks like you actually planned ahead. Every flan starts with the same flaked salmon base, then takes its own personality from the toppings: broccoli with sharp Stilton, asparagus with melty Cheddar, leeks with smoked salmon and Mozzarella, and tomato-olive with Feta and basil pesto.

The two-temperature bake matters. A blast of high heat sets the pastry quickly so it doesn’t sog under the wet filling, then a long, gentle finish cooks the custard through without scrambling the eggs or splitting them.

Kitchen Tips

• Blanch the broccoli and asparagus briefly before they go into the flans. Raw stems leak water and turn the custard wobbly.
• Drain the canned salmon hard. Press it in a fine sieve so excess liquid doesn’t pool in the bases.
• Don’t overfill. The custard rises as it bakes and overflowing onto the oven floor is a pain to clean.
• Test for doneness with a slight wobble in the center, never a sloshing one. Carryover heat finishes the set as they cool.
• Cool 10 minutes before slicing. Hot quiche tears, warm quiche cuts cleanly.

Variations

• Swap Stilton for Gorgonzola or any blue you have on hand.
• Try caramelized onion and Gruyère as a fifth combination.
• Make these as mini muffin-tin quiches for cocktail-party finger food.