Children like the idea of having their own personal portion of something, and these mini quiches have that combination of cheese and sweetcorn that children tend to enjoy. These gluten free quiches are a good addition to lunchboxes.

Xanthan gum is a fine powder that helps gluten-free flour to hold together better in pastry and cakes. It is usually found in health-food stores.

Pastry

165 g (6oz) rice flour
55 g (2 oz) potato flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
a pinch of cayenne pepper
110g (4oz) cold butter, diced
55 g (2oz) mature/sharp Cheddar, grated
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
1 medium egg, lightly beaten

Filling

3 tbsp tinned and drained sweetcorn
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
120 ml (4 1/2fl oz) milk
1 medium egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
salt and pepper, to season

Method:

To make the pastry, sift together the flours, xanthan gum, salt and cayenne pepper. Put into a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like sand, then stir in the two cheeses. Add the egg and mix to a dough, adding a few drops of cold water if necessary. (For a food processor put all the ingredients except the egg in the bowl and pulse 8–9 times until the mixture looks sandy. Add egg and process until a ball of dough forms on the blades.)

Roll out to £1 coin (1/2 cm/1/4 in) thickness and cut out circles using a 9 cm (3 1/2 in) cutter. Use a palette knife to lift the pastry circles and gently ease into the cups of a non-stick muffin tin. Re-roll trimmings and cut to make a total of 12 quiches. If any cracks appear then patch with small pieces of pastry. Chill for 30 minutes, until the pastry is firm.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Divide the sweetcorn, spring onions and tomato among the pastry cases. Put the milk and eggs in a jug, and whisk to combine thoroughly then season to taste with salt and pepper. Carefully pour the egg mixture into the pastry cases, being careful not to over fill. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the filling is slightly puffed and the pastry is golden. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove the tarts from the tin using a palette knife and cool on a wire rack. Transfer to the fridge as soon as possible, if not eating immediately. If cooking from frozen, defrost overnight in fridge. To reheat tarts, warm in a low oven for about 10 minutes.

Information:
Suitable for freezing.
Preparation time: 25 minutes plus chilling 
Cooking time:  20 minutes
Makes 12 mini quiches