Gruyere and Caramelised Shallot Nests are the perfect picnic treat, like a cross between a sandwich and a mini quiche!
Today I’m bringing you Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests.
It’s National Picnic Week this week so I decided I needed to make something fabulous for the occasion!
Casting my mind back to when I was 21 and working in catering (where I’d often be serving the food we’d cooked during the day at events/parties in the evening) I remembered a marathon afternoon of making Gruyere and Shallot Mini Quiches amongst other things.
As the weather is so unpredictable in Britain I decided that instead of using pastry I would use bread (which most people have to hand) and therefore these Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests can be made up at short notice for an impromptu picnic.
The trick with these nests is to spread the bread with plenty of butter as this will make them go golden and toasted in the oven.
As the cheese and shallots are quite sweet you need to season the nests well.
Hubby and I enjoyed these hot for lunch and the children had theirs cold when they came home from school (a big thumbs up from both of them)!
I think they are actually best cold and therefore perfect picnic food.
If you plan to have a picnic and the weather goes all British on you and rains, then just spread the picnic rug out on your carpet and carry on regardless.
Good food and a sense of humour are all you need!
More Picnic Bakes
If you like these Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests then I’m sure you’ll also like:
- Croquiches
- Sunny Picnic Quiches
- Sweet Chilli Sausage Plait
- Cajun Tortilla Mini Quiches
- Asparagus Tarts with a Pesto Surprise
Pin for later!
Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests
Ingredients
- 6 Slices Bread (white or wholemeal) crusts removed (I used 50/50 bread)
- Butter or margarine for spreading
- 1 tbsp Rapeseed oil
- 150 g Shallots finely sliced
- 70 g Gruyere cheese grated
- 3 Eggs large
- 3 tbsp Milk
- 1 Pinch ground nutmeg
- Cayenne pepper for sprinkling
- Freshly ground salt & pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180⁰C.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the slices of bread until they are completely flattened (roll from side to side to encourage a more square shape).
- Butter both sides of the bread well.
- Press the slices of bread into 6 holes of a muffin tin.
- Gently fry the shallots in the oil until golden.
- Put half the grated gruyere into the bread nests, top with caramelised shallots and then put the rest of the gruyere on top.
- Season each nest well with freshly ground salt and pepper. (I find seasoning the egg mixture results in it sinking to the bottom of the bowl and staying there)!
- Whisk together the eggs, milk and nutmeg and pour into the nests and then sprinkle with cayenne pepper.
- Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked and golden.
- Once cooked remove from muffin tray, allow to cool and put in the fridge until needed or enjoy hot with your favourite salads.
Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests previously published at Great British Chefs.
Lesley@lostinfood
Like the ideas of these picnic nests, quick to prepare and good hot or cold, perfect!
Camilla
Thanks Lesley, yes they are fab:-)
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
What a great recipe Camilla, they sound absolutely scrummy! And i love your tip of seasoning straight into each muffin rather than the egg mixture. 🙂
Angela x
Camilla
Thanks Angela, they are yummy:-)
Sammie
I had no idea from the picture is saw, that these were made with bread. Utterly genius idea. Perfect picnic or packed lunch food.
Camilla
Thanks Sammmie, the trick is to coat it well in butter so that it crisps up:-)
Maya Russell
These look delicious and perfect for a picnic.
Camilla
Thanks Maya:-)
Paul Wilson
Great for picnic.
Camilla
Totally:-)
Paul Wilson
Looks so appetitsing.
Camilla
Thanks, they are delicious too:-)
Ursula Hunt
These look really delicious
jo hutchinson
great recipe
Anne Dalzell
Why is it that shallots taste so much nicer than ordinary onions? Love adding them to dishes
Camilla
They’re just sweeter aren’t they;=)
Farhana
These sound great too
Camilla
Thanks Farhana:-)
William Gould
My wife loves this sort of thing!
Ann Robinson
Yum Yum, i would est this at any time and not just for a picnic, they look great
Camilla
Yes my kids love them in a packed lunch:-)
Elizabeth
These would work really well in a packed lunch 🙂
Paul Wilson
Look ideal for a summer picnic.
lorrs1958
they don’t just look & sound good they taste good too – to quote my son “way better than boring sandwiches”
Camilla
So glad you and your son enjoyed them:-)
Jayne Sullivan
Such a fantastic idea. A real change from the usual vegetarian picnic snacks. Many thanks for posting the recipe.
Carys Jones
Ooh, very tempting. Thanks for posting a vegetarian recipe.
Camilla
Pleasure:-)
Sally - My Custard Pie
Very appealing – can’t wait for my next picnic.
Bev
Sounds delicious!
Heather Haigh
Those look exceptionally tasty and nicely portable.
Camilla
Thanks Heather, yes they’re nice and self contained:-)
Carolyn Clapham
Those look and sound lovely 🙂
Felicity Kelly
Hmmm cheesy goodness!
Ursula Hunt
Sounds like a great recipe
Camilla
Thank you, hope you get to try it:-)
Paul Wilson
Great idea. Very creative.
Camilla
Thank you Paul:-)
Rachel K @MarmadukeS
Such a clever idea and it ticks all the right picnic boxes – delicious, faff-free and portable. Perfect!
Camilla
Thanks Rachel, I steer away from faff at all times:-)
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry
I think my kiddoes would love these Camilla. As would I.
Camilla
Thanks Bintu, they’re really handy for packed lunches too and you can just put in whatever you have in the fridge:-)
Deena kakaya
Oh Camilla! What a sigh-some combination of ingredients. Lovely x
Camilla
Thanks Deena and it’s vegetarian for a change:-)
Vohn McGuinness
They sound fabulous. I always love something a bit different for a picnic – I’ll definitely be trying these out over the summer. Thanks for the recipe!
Camilla
Thanks Vohn – the possibilities are endless:-)