Bacon and Gruyere Quiche

This classic quiche is similar to the ones we enjoyed in Paris. Nestled in a buttery crust, it offers a rich, savory custard flecked with Gruyere, bacon, and shallots. Magically, the overall effect is one of lightness. It is the perfect make-ahead recipe for brunches, lunches, and dinners. Pair this quiche with a simple salad, perhaps a mimosa or glass of wine, and you have a complete meal.

Quiche is one of those classic dishes that is adaptable to seasonal ingredients or to what you have on hand. You can include an array of different cheeses, various types of ham or bacon, and almost any vegetable you have available.

For this quiche, we are of the opinion that the crust should be partially blind baked. This simply means pre-baking the crust without the filling. Once the crust is partially baked, you add the filling and bake it again, ensuring a firm flaky crust. There is nothing more disheartening than a soggy crusted quiche.

For this recipe, we chose an 11″ fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Unmoulding quiches and tarts can be a tricky process and a removable bottom helps to avoid any issues. We also love the delicate detailing of the crust when it’s baked in a tart pan.

We like to prepare our dough ahead of time and keep in the freezer or refrigerator until we’re ready to use it. You can find instructions for this below.

Serves: 6

Prep Time: Quiche about 20 minutes , Pie dough about 30 minutes

Cook Time: Quiche 40-45 minutes, Pie dough about 20 minutes

Pie Dough with Partial Blind Baking Instructions: Make this first so that it can chill, be rolled out and bake. The recipe can be doubled so you can put an extra disk in your freezer.

1 ⅓ cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced into cubes
¼ cup ice water, as needed

In a large bowl, using either: a pastry blender, a food processor fitted with a metal blade, a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with 2 knives, combine the flour and the salt. Add in the chilled butter, and mix until it is reduced to the size of peas.
One tablespoon at a time, drizzle a few tablespoons of ice water into the flour mixture; just until the dough begins to hold together. The dough should be evenly moist (not wet), but rough in appearance. You still want to see bits of butter.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gather and press the dough into a ball and pat the ball into a 4 inch round disk. Wrap the disk well with cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. If you don’t plan to use the dough right away, it will last refrigerated for up to 2 days and frozen for up to 1 month. When ready to use defrost in the refrigerator.
Unwrap the dough, place it on a lightly floured work surface and scatter a little flour over the top.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to be slightly larger your pie plate or tart pan.
Fit the dough to the pan. If you are using a tart pan use the rolling pin to trim your edge by rolling it over the top of the pan. With a pie plate, crimp and trim your edges.

PARTIAL BLIND BAKING

1 9 inch pie plate or a 9-11 inch tart pan
parchment paper
pie weights, dry beans or rice
baking sheet

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
After your dough is fitted to the tart pan or pie plate, using a fork, prick the bottom and sides of the dough.
Cut off a large square of parchment paper and use it to line the dough. Make sure the paper is snug up against the sides of the dough.
Fill the crust with weights; enough to cover the bottom of the crust and also press against the sides. The weights in the bottom will keep the crust from puffing up and the weights against the sides will keep it from sagging as it bakes.
Place the crust on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven.
Grasping the corners of the parchment, lift the weights out of the pie; transfer them to a bowl to cool. The bottom of the crust will still look wet and un-cooked at this point.
Return the crust to the oven and bake until the bottom looks dry; about 5 minutes.
Cool completely before adding your filling.

QUICHE FILLING

one 9-11 inch pie crust, partially blind baked (pie dough recipe and blind bake instructions above; prepare this first)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup shallots, minced
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Gruyere cheese, grated
8 slices of bacon, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a sauté pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the shallots. Sauté until lightly golden, about 8 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium size sauté pan, cook the bacon until it’s slightly crispy. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined dish and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper and whisk until evenly blended.
Stir in the cheese, bacon, and shallots into the egg mixture. Spread the egg mixture evenly onto the prepared pie crust.
Set the quiche on a baking sheet and bake until a knife blade inserted in the center comes out clean; about 40-45 minutes. If the pie crust begins to over brown, cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil or a pie shield.
Remove the quiche from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Let the quiche rest at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Serve, hot, warm, or at room temperature.

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