My School Dinner recipes have been very popular lately, and here’s the recipe for School Dinner Cheese Flan, which I promised to share.
Also called Cheese & Egg Flan and Cheese Pie
My School Dinner recipes have been very popular lately, and here’s the recipe for School Dinner Cheese Flan, which I promised to share.
Also called Cheese & Egg Flan, or Cheese Pie, it has JUST four ingredients in it. Namely cheese, eggs, milk and pastry.
I remember it well from my school days, when it was always served warm with chips and baked beans.
It wasn’t always popular with everyone, but as a pie and flan addict, I loved it! It’s quite a rich recipe, but high in protein, so very filling.
There was something about the slightly wobbly cheesy custard baked in shortcrust pastry, that was somehow very comforting.
My recipe today for School Dinner Cheese Flan is baked in a 9″ x 13″ Pyrex dish, in an attempt the get that essential oblong shape.
The recipe serves 10, which is great for large families. Or, this quantity would be perfect for a potluck supper, picnic, or for the freezer for future meals.
You can of course halve the quantities to serve 5 to 6 people, and bake it in a square 6″ x 4″ dish or baking tin.
I made my own air fryer chips when I served this last time, with tasty new season’s potatoes, but it would have been crinkle cut chips at school!
Try to use a mature Cheddar cheese, as this flan needs to be cheesy, rather than eggy. I seasoned it with a little salt and old school white pepper.
The recipe calles for 450g of shortcrust pastry – this can be ready-made pastry, or homemade shortcrust pastry.
I’ve never seen it made with puff pastry, as I think it would be far too rich with that type of pastry case.
There’s no need to blind bake the pastry before adding the filling. I found that baking it in a lower temperature oven for longer worked just fine.
It reheats like a dream – just place the slices of flan on a baking tray in a pre-heated oven at 150C (300F) for 10 to 15 minutes.
It can be eaten cold, such as when taken on picnics, but to enjoy that authentic school dinner taste, it’s better served warm.
I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it, it’s a real blast from the past! Karen
More Flan and Pie Recipes
Sweet Pies and Tarts
Recipe for School Dinner Cheese Flan
School Dinner Cheese Flan
My School Dinner recipes have been very popular lately, and here's the recipe for School Dinner Cheese Flan, which I promised to share.
Also called Cheese & Egg Flan, or Cheese Pie, it has JUST four ingredients in it. Namely cheese, eggs, milk and pastry.
I remember it well from my school days, when it was always served warm with chips and baked beans.
It wasn't always popular with everyone, but as a pie and flan addict, I loved it! It's quite a rich recipe, but high in protein, so very filling.
There was something about the slightly wobbly cheesy custard baked in shortcrust pastry, that was somehow very comforting.
The recipe serves 10, which is great for large families. Or, this quantity would be perfect for a potluck supper, picnic, or for the freezer for future meals.
You can of course halve the quantities to serve 5 to 6 people, and bake it in a square 6" x 4" dish or baking tin.
It can be eaten cold, such as when taken on picnics, but to enjoy that authentic school dinner taste, it's better served warm.
I hope you enjoy this recipe if you make it, it's a real blast from the past! Karen
Ingredients
- 450g (1lb) ready made shortcrust pastry, or homemade shortcrust pastry
- 250g grated mature Cheddar cheese
- 6 eggs
- 150ml (1/4 pint) milk
- salt and white pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 13" x 9" baking tray with baking paper. Pre-heat another baking tray in the oven.
- Roll out and line the baking tray with the pastry, easing it into the corners, and trimming any excess that hangs over the edge of the baking tray.
- Scatter the grated cheese over the pastry.
- Beat the eggs with the milk, and season to taste with salt and white pepper. (about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper)
- Pour the egg and milk mixture over the cheese.
- Carefully place the cheese flan on the pre-heated baking tray in the oven and bake for between 35 to 45 minutes, or until the flan is light brown, puffed up and firm to the touch.
- Remove the flan from the oven and allow to cool slightly for 10 minutes, before serving cut into squares.
- It's traditional to serve this with chips and baked beans.
Notes
Perfect with salad and baked potatoes, as well as for lunch boxes and picnics.
Use any strong hard cheese you have to hand.
You can of course halve the quantities to serve 5 to 6 people, and bake it in a square 6" x 4" dish or baking tin.
It reheats like a dream - just place the slices of flan on a baking tray in a pre-heated oven at 150C (300F) for 10 to 15 minutes.
It can be eaten cold, such as when taken on picnics, but to enjoy that authentic school dinner taste, it's better served warm.
FOR HOMEMADE SHORTCRUST PASTRY FOLLOW THIS RECIPE:
340g SR flour (12 ozs)
160g butter (6 ozs)
cold water (to mix, about 30ml)
pinch of salt
Mix flour and salt in basin, rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Using a knife to cut and stir, mix with cold water to form a stiff dough. Do not over mix, light of hand is best.
Allow pastry dough to chill and "relax" for 30 minutes, in a fridge or a cool place, cover the bowl or put the pastry in some cling film.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 204Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 145mgSodium 322mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 0gSugar 3gProtein 11g
Jillian Gough says
Just made this super easy school cheese flan. It has just transported me back over 40 years to my school days. Can’t believe how easy it was and how tasty it is
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much for letting me know Jillian – it is JUST like a school dinner cheese flan isnt it? 🙂 LOVE that you liked it, Karen
Mrs susan walker says
Absolutely gorgeous second time making them
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much for letting me know Susan 🙂 I am so pleased! Karen
Scott says
This sounds absolutely fab. It was my fave dinner at school. Can’t wait to make it. Small technical point. However, 6×4 is not half of 13×9, it is smaller than a quarter.. perhaps the tray should be 6×9.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks for that! I’ll edit it
Karen says
This was hands down my favourite dinner at school followed by chocolate sponge and mint custard it was a great day in school
Karen Burns-Booth says
Mine too, still love it now too! Karen