I quiche you not. It's that easy.

Repeat after me. "Quiches and pastry are not scary and difficult to make".

With a food processor, you'll be able to whip up a quiche in under an hour flat. 10 minutes if you make the pastry ahead and store in the fridge so you have it on hand whenever a quiche attack hits you. Or if you prefer, simply use frozen shortcrust pastry. It works just as well.

Here's what you need for a basic shortcrust dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 6 oz cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch bits
• 4 tbsp cold shortening (you can replace this with butter if you like a richer more buttery crust)
• 1/2 cup iced water, plus more as needed

Dump in all the dry ingredients into the food processor, throw in the butter and shortening. Whizz it around until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

So far so easy right?

Add the water slowly, flicking the food processor on and off. Keep adding water until the dough starts to clump onto the blade into a single mass.

Once that happens, remove from food processor and place onto a floured surface. Knead lightly until it forms a consistent ball. Roll it up into a ball and cover with cling wrap. Resist the urge to over handle the dough or the heat from your hands will melt the butter and you'll end up with an oily mess. Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge before using.

The refrigerated dough keeps well for a few days. But if you want it to last for several weeks, wrap it in an airtight plastic bag and freeze.

To bake the crust:

Heat oven to 190C.

To line the quiche tin/pan, simply roll out the dough on a floured surface. The dough circle should be about 2 inches larger than your quiche tin.

Place the sheet over the greased quiche dish, gently press down into the bottom. Trim the excess dough 1/4 inch from the edge and roll it up to make the edge of the crust. It doesn't have to be a fancy pattern, a thicker edge is needed as the dough will shrink slightly and pull away when it's baked. All you need is a little "lip" to keep the filling from spilling out.

Prick the bottom with a fork. Place a piece of parchment or greaseproof paper over to form a little basket, then fill with rice/ dry beans/ ceramic or glass baking beans. This helps to weigh down the bottom of the crust so that the hot air won't cause it to puff up.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes till light golden brown.

Now, onto the basic filling:

• 3 large eggs
• 1.5 cups of cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp butter cut into pea-sized dots

Beat eggs, add cream and seasonings. That's your basic quiche mixture. You can add any other kinds of seasonings, spices and herbs that you like.

At this point, add the other ingredients to the empty pastry shell. Pour on the egg and cream mixture and dot with butter. Bake at 190C for 25 - 30 minutes or until quiche has puffed and browned.

Here's a whole list of quiche variations you can make with the basic recipe:

• Quiche Provencal - Slices of fresh tomato
• Quiche Lorraine - Lightly browned strips of bacon
• Quiche Fromage - Cubes of any cheese you like
• Quiche Oignons - Browned caramelized onions

Or my personal favourite, the "The Kitchen Sink" - browned bacon, cheese cubes, slices of leek, onion and mushroom. Good hot or cold, perfect as a snack, and even doubles up as a hearty lunch with a side salad.