Like many other wonderful dishes, a good quiche takes time to prepare. But at my house, a homemade quiche is one of the best ways I know to show my dear husband how much I care. (That and Chicken Paprika. BTW also on this site.)
So when Mr. C. recently asked me to make a quiche for dinner, I simply could not refuse. And because I know how much he loves bacon, I decided on this recipe.
Now I know what you’re thinking – “Patti – everyone knows how to make a Quiche Lorraine”. And this might be true. But sometimes I like to include recipes that have been around for a while, because people have a tendency to forget about the classics when only focusing on “new and currently trendy” dishes. But with all the innovative ingredients that are being used in quiches these days, like smoked salmon, sausage, spinach, or prosciutto, to name just a few, there is even more reason to resurrect an old standard. At least by posting this old favorite, I hope to prod my readers into thinking about quiche again. (And I mean “prod” in a good way! As a reminder, not as a poke, jab, or dig!) Because when you think about it, there is no more perfect dish to serve for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner than a quiche. Or if there is, I have yet to discover it! (OK, there is pizza; but not everyone embraces cold pizza for breakfast!)
So do yourself and your family a favor. Build a quiche. And while you’re at it, also make a fruit tart. (For more information about why a tart and a quiche are hand and hand buddies, see my blog post entitled Rustic Peach Tart.)
- 8-inch pie crust, unbaked and set in pie plate (see recipe below)
- 8 slices thick, meaty bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp
- 2 c. grated Swiss, Gruyère, or Emmanthal cheese
- 1/3 c. sliced green onions
- ¾ tsp. dry mustard
- 1 1/3 c. milk (whole milk is best)
- 4 eggs
- dash ground nutmeg
Scatter cooked bacon over pie crust. Layer cheese on top of bacon. Add sliced green onions. Whisk together the dry mustard, milk, and eggs. Hint: Place dry mustard in bowl and add just a tiny splash of the milk. Whisk until there are no mustard powder lumps. Then add the remaining milk and eggs, and whisk all together. If you add all the ingredients together at once, you often end up with mustard lumps that, trust me, are very hard to incorporate with the other ingredients.) Pour liquid mixture in pie pan. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven until set, about 45 minutes.
Hint: to keep your pie crust edge from getting too brown, cover with aluminum foil. (See picture below.)
PIE CRUST (makes a double crust)
- ¼ c. very cold water
- 2 c. flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- heaping 2/3 c. Crisco
Step 1 – Pour cold water into a small bowl.
Step 2 – Measure flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
Step 3 – Take 1/3 cup of the flour back out of the mixing bowl and stir it into the water. Make a paste. Set aside.
Step 4 – Add the Crisco (heaping 2/3 cup) to the flour and salt mixture. Mix together. (I use my KitchenAid mixer.)
Step 5 – Add the water/flour paste to the flour/shortening bowl and mix just until blended. Do not over-mix. Roll out dough and place in pie plate. This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie, if using a regular sized pie plate, or one large bottom crust with a little left over for pastry cookies or small tart like the one shown below.
Helpful hint: Use a pastry cloth to roll out your pie crust. It really makes a difference. You can find pastry cloths in almost any kitchen wares shop. Well worth the $10 or so.