The very first time I made quiche was in the 1970’s! I had invited a bunch of my “girlfriends” over for Sunday brunch and wanted to make them something none of us had ever had before. I stumbled upon a recipe for “Quiche Lorraine” in one of my few cookbooks and in my opinion, it had stood the test of time! For a change, you can use 1/2 to 2/3 cup finely chopped ham instead of the bacon.
Makes 6 Servings
1 unbaked 9” pastry shell (see below)
6 slices good quality bacon, thickly sliced, cut crosswise into ½” pieces
½ cup sliced onion
4 oz. (1/4 lb.) Vintage Gruyere cheese, cut into ¼” dice
4 large eggs
1 cup homogenized milk
1 cup whipping cream
½ tsp. salt (remembering that bacon is salty)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Prepare the pastry shell: roll out the dough to approximately 11” and fit into a glass pie plate, prick the shell all over with a fork. ( prefer to use glass as it gives a nice crisp crust). Place a piece of baking parchment into the pie shell and fill with pie weights if you have them. (I use dried beans that I save and reuse instead of pie weights). Bake the shell for 10 minutes; remove the pie weights and paper; if crust appears to be still wet, return to the oven for a few minutes to dry out. If the crust bubbles up, prick lightly with a fork. Remove to a cooling rack, cool completely.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, set aside. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan, then sauté the onions until just transparent and softened. Remove from heat. Put the diced cheese, bacon pieces and onion in the pre-baked pastry shell.
Whisk the eggs together; add the milk, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg, pour over the ingredients in the pastry shell. Carefully place in the 450 F oven and bake for 15 minutes; reduce the heat to 350 F continuing to bake 15 minutes longer (it will probably be longer), or until a thin-bladed knife inserted halfway between the centre and the edge comes out clean. Let the quiche rest for 15 – 20 minutes before cutting.
Helpful link to “Making Pie Dough”.
