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You are here: Home / Picnic / Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests

Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests

Updated: 2nd April 2024 · Published: 18th June 2014 

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Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests (mini quiches) perfect picnic food! Nest's of toasted bread filled with Gruyere, caramelised shallots and egg! #MiniQuiche #Gruyere #GruyereRecipes #ShallotRecipes #Shallot #CaramelisedShallot #quiche #quicherecipes #eggrecipes #bread #breadrecipes

Gruyere and Caramelised Shallot Nests are the perfect picnic treat, like a cross between a sandwich and a mini quiche!

Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests (mini quiches)

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.

Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests (mini quiches)

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!

Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests (mini quiches) perfect picnic food! Nest's of toasted bread filled with Gruyere, caramelised shallots and egg! #MiniQuiche #Gruyere #GruyereRecipes #ShallotRecipes #Shallot #CaramelisedShallot #quiche #quicherecipes #eggrecipes #bread #breadrecipes

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 (mini quiches)
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Gruyere & Caramelised Shallot Nests

Gruyere and Caramelised Shallot Nests are the perfect picnic treat, like a cross between a sandwich and a mini quiche!
Course Lunch, Main
Cuisine British
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
Total Time 50 minutes minutes
Servings 6
Author Camilla Hawkins

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.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lesley@lostinfood

    22/06/2017 at 4:12 pm

    Like the ideas of these picnic nests, quick to prepare and good hot or cold, perfect!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      22/06/2017 at 10:48 pm

      Thanks Lesley, yes they are fab:-)

      Reply
  2. Angela / Only Crumbs Remain

    21/06/2017 at 2:48 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Camilla

      21/06/2017 at 3:26 pm

      Thanks Angela, they are yummy:-)

      Reply
  3. Sammie

    14/01/2017 at 10:35 am

    I had no idea from the picture is saw, that these were made with bread. Utterly genius idea. Perfect picnic or packed lunch food.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      14/01/2017 at 4:04 pm

      Thanks Sammmie, the trick is to coat it well in butter so that it crisps up:-)

      Reply
  4. Maya Russell

    01/09/2015 at 7:00 am

    These look delicious and perfect for a picnic.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      01/09/2015 at 3:29 pm

      Thanks Maya:-)

      Reply
  5. Paul Wilson

    22/06/2015 at 12:08 am

    Great for picnic.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      22/06/2015 at 5:43 pm

      Totally:-)

      Reply
  6. Paul Wilson

    06/01/2015 at 4:23 am

    Looks so appetitsing.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      07/01/2015 at 12:10 am

      Thanks, they are delicious too:-)

      Reply
  7. Ursula Hunt

    18/11/2014 at 2:41 am

    These look really delicious

    Reply
  8. jo hutchinson

    17/11/2014 at 11:38 pm

    great recipe

    Reply
  9. Anne Dalzell

    17/11/2014 at 10:52 pm

    Why is it that shallots taste so much nicer than ordinary onions? Love adding them to dishes

    Reply
    • Camilla

      17/11/2014 at 11:05 pm

      They’re just sweeter aren’t they;=)

      Reply
  10. Farhana

    09/11/2014 at 7:26 am

    These sound great too

    Reply
    • Camilla

      09/11/2014 at 11:40 am

      Thanks Farhana:-)

      Reply
  11. William Gould

    13/09/2014 at 9:59 am

    My wife loves this sort of thing!

    Reply
  12. Ann Robinson

    06/09/2014 at 11:36 am

    Yum Yum, i would est this at any time and not just for a picnic, they look great

    Reply
    • Camilla

      06/09/2014 at 12:32 pm

      Yes my kids love them in a packed lunch:-)

      Reply
  13. Elizabeth

    26/07/2014 at 1:20 pm

    These would work really well in a packed lunch 🙂

    Reply
  14. Paul Wilson

    06/07/2014 at 12:07 am

    Look ideal for a summer picnic.

    Reply
  15. lorrs1958

    05/07/2014 at 9:14 pm

    they don’t just look & sound good they taste good too – to quote my son “way better than boring sandwiches”

    Reply
    • Camilla

      05/07/2014 at 10:35 pm

      So glad you and your son enjoyed them:-)

      Reply
  16. Jayne Sullivan

    02/07/2014 at 11:59 am

    Such a fantastic idea. A real change from the usual vegetarian picnic snacks. Many thanks for posting the recipe.

    Reply
  17. Carys Jones

    28/06/2014 at 7:46 pm

    Ooh, very tempting. Thanks for posting a vegetarian recipe.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      29/06/2014 at 10:46 pm

      Pleasure:-)

      Reply
  18. Sally - My Custard Pie

    22/06/2014 at 4:52 pm

    Very appealing – can’t wait for my next picnic.

    Reply
  19. Bev

    22/06/2014 at 12:23 pm

    Sounds delicious!

    Reply
  20. Heather Haigh

    21/06/2014 at 4:42 pm

    Those look exceptionally tasty and nicely portable.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      21/06/2014 at 11:39 pm

      Thanks Heather, yes they’re nice and self contained:-)

      Reply
  21. Carolyn Clapham

    21/06/2014 at 8:26 am

    Those look and sound lovely 🙂

    Reply
  22. Felicity Kelly

    20/06/2014 at 11:05 am

    Hmmm cheesy goodness!

    Reply
  23. Ursula Hunt

    19/06/2014 at 11:43 am

    Sounds like a great recipe

    Reply
    • Camilla

      19/06/2014 at 4:59 pm

      Thank you, hope you get to try it:-)

      Reply
  24. Paul Wilson

    19/06/2014 at 12:17 am

    Great idea. Very creative.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      19/06/2014 at 5:01 pm

      Thank you Paul:-)

      Reply
  25. Rachel K @MarmadukeS

    18/06/2014 at 8:02 pm

    Such a clever idea and it ticks all the right picnic boxes – delicious, faff-free and portable. Perfect!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      19/06/2014 at 5:02 pm

      Thanks Rachel, I steer away from faff at all times:-)

      Reply
  26. Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry

    18/06/2014 at 5:15 pm

    I think my kiddoes would love these Camilla. As would I.

    Reply
    • Camilla

      19/06/2014 at 5:03 pm

      Thanks Bintu, they’re really handy for packed lunches too and you can just put in whatever you have in the fridge:-)

      Reply
  27. Deena kakaya

    18/06/2014 at 12:42 pm

    Oh Camilla! What a sigh-some combination of ingredients. Lovely x

    Reply
    • Camilla

      18/06/2014 at 1:33 pm

      Thanks Deena and it’s vegetarian for a change:-)

      Reply
  28. Vohn McGuinness

    18/06/2014 at 12:23 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Camilla

      18/06/2014 at 1:33 pm

      Thanks Vohn – the possibilities are endless:-)

      Reply

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