You will need
¼ cup (60 g) cold butter, cubed
½ cup (125 ml) grated cheddar cheese
¾ cup (180 ml) cake flour
2 T (30 ml) cold water
250 g baby spinach
2 T (30 ml) butter, cut into cubes
1 T (15 ml) Ina Paarman’s White Sauce Powder
100-125 g creamy blue cheese
1 cup (250 ml) fresh cream
2 extra large or jumbo eggs
2 t (10 ml) Ina Paarman’s Reduced Salt Garlic & Herb Seasoning
Method
Never fail cheese pastry
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Butter a 25 cm fluted loose bottom pan. Process all the ingredients to form coarse crumbs.
Knead lightly to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and leave at room temperature for at least an hour. Roll out and line the pan, push pastry right up against the sides and slightly above the edge of the pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Line the pan with foil and weigh it down with rice or beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and weights.
Brush the inside of the pastry with a little of the egg used in the filling. Bake for another 5 minutes. The egg-wash will waterproof the pastry.
Filling
Reduce oven temperature to 180°C. Rinse the spinach and place the wet spinach and cubes of butter into a large frying pan and cover with a lid. Cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes until the spinach has collapsed. Sprinkle the White Sauce Powder over and stir to blend with the spinach.
Place spinach in a food processor and blend with all the remaining ingredients until smooth but still textured.
Pour the mixture into the, still hot, pre-baked pastry shell. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling is firm and slightly puffy. Serve warm or at room temperature.
