Is there anything that sounds fancier than quiche? When I hear the word ‘quiche’, I think of elegant mini-quiches served on silver platters by white and black clad waiters at an oceanside wedding. Champagne flute in one hand, mini-quiche in the other. There’s just something inherently fancy about them. Maybe it’s because of the French name: ‘Quiche’. French always makes things fancy. Maybe it’s because if I stare at that word long enough it ceases to become a real word. Either way, quiches are darn fancy. And darn delicious!
And while this dish would be delicious with something like blue cheese or gruyere with prosciutto, I thought I’d share my basic, much-loved, home-grown bacon and white cheddar recipe. This quiche is like drinking wine out of a mug in your sweatpants; you can have your fancy and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home with stuff you already have in the fridge. Quiche doesn’t have to be expensive, or reserved for nice occasions, you can feel fancy on your own terms!
I’m going to preface this recipe by saying that if you want a lower calorie option, it is certainly doable by removing the crust, using turkey bacon (although I have yet to find Nightshade Free turkey bacon at the store), using only egg whites, and/or filling it more with spinach and other roasted veggies like zucchini, mushrooms, onions, yellow squash, etc., as long as you have enough egg to bind everything together during the baking process (I would use no less than 3).
Also, to explain why I’m making the pie crust instead of just buying one at the store, this is for three reasons. First and foremost, allergies. Even though the pie crusts at the store don’t list any nightshade allergens on the ingredients list, it has made Mr. Nomato sick more than once. They have to be in there somewhere. This is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine, fellow allergy sufferers will no doubt agree. Second, IT TASTES SO MUCH BETTER. Seriously. Homemade stuff always tastes better if you have the time. Third, I’m on a personal quest to make all the things I’m afraid of making. The past few years have been a project in getting me out of my comfort zone and I’m trying to apply that to my kitchen as well.
Pastry was my nemesis. I tried to make apple pie once from scratch. It was AWFUL. It was like eating apple crackers. Those sound way more delicious than how it actually tasted. It was more like eating applesauce-coated rocks. I could barely get the knife in to cut it! That was years ago, and I’ve been scared ever since. UNTIL I decided to try this pie crust recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I swear, this woman is my go-to for any basic baking recipes. She’s a magician. I have made this recipe so many times since I found it, and each time the crust comes out light, flaky and perfect. She explains it so clearly that I’m just going to direct you to her instead of trying to explain it myself! When she said that the key with pastry is to keep everything as cold as possible, and not to let any of it melt, it was a revelation! And that philosophy has yet to steer me wrong. So if you’ve been as terrified of pastry as I have, give it a shot, I cannot recommend it enough!
Okay, enough gushing, on to the recipe! Following Sally, we mix all the dry stuff together.
Then add our COLD butter and shortening on top, and cut it in with a fork or pastry blender to make sure it’s all mixed in. It will probably still be pretty coarse.
Almost done!
Start adding ice water tablespoon by tablespoon and mixing.
Once the dough starts clumping, you can place it on a floured surface and flatten it until it’s one inch thick. Then you can separate it into two parts, wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. This helps maintain the cold and just kind of set everything. It can keep for up to 6 days, so sometimes I’ll make it when I have time, but not the night I actually need it.
Time to prepare our dinner! Or brunch – yummm brunch! I’m going to start by thawing and cooking the frozen spinach.
While that’s doing it’s thing, I’m going to slice up the bacon and cook it until it’s crispy. This is key. I misread a recipe once and put in uncooked bacon, and it ended up slimy and gross. Don’t do that. Cook it, cook it real good!
Once it’s done, remove it from the pan and let it drain on a paper-towel covered plate.
Now to prepare the pastry! This quiche will end up being pretty deep, since I’m actually using a cake pan. If you have a pie pan, I recommend using that, as it will be easier to serve the pieces once you cut them.
Okay, roll out that pastry! On a floured surface of course. You want it to be pretty thin, about ¼” thick or even thinner if you are still confident that it will hold up when you transfer it to the pan.
Once it’s in the pan, carefully make sure it’s in full contact with all the sides. Gently push it if you have to. I’m going for a slightly ‘rough’ look to my quiche, so I’m not trying to make the edges all pretty, I’m just going to trim them and leave them. If you want to do that, you’ll need to measure and cut your dough so that it extends an extra inch or two around the pan before you actually transfer it to the pan. Once it’s in the pan you’ll want to tuck the cut edge underneath itself before pressing it with a finger or fork or something to give the pretty edge texture that you want. Just remember that anything you do will shrink as it bakes, so give it lots of extra room.
She’s ready! Now before I put in the filling, I’m going to bake the crust for about 5 minutes. This will prevent it from getting soggy later on. Once it’s done, it’s time to fill the quiche with deliciousness!
First, the crunchy bacon…
Then our cooked spinach…
Shredded white cheddar cheese because everyone knows bacon and cheddar are best buds….
And now just pour your scrambled eggs over everything!
Stick that baby in the oven and let ‘er bake.
Oh. Yum. It smells heavenly.
The cheese will get all bubbly, the eggs will fluff up…
And it’ll taste so good! The crust will be incredibly flaky and just melt in your mouth.
See, you don’t need an excuse to be fancy. Just promise me you will revel in every. Single. Bite.
Serve for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, elevensies, high tea, whenever you want!
- Sally’s Baking Addiction Favorite Homemade Pie Crust:
- 2 and 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 6 Tablespoons (90 grams) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 3/4 cup (154 grams) vegetable shortening, chilled
- 1/2 -2/3 cups (120-160 ml) ice water
- Quiche Filling:
- 7 uncooked eggs , whisked
- 6 strips of bacon (Hardwood Smoked Oscar Meyer are Nightshade Free)
- 2 cups raw spinach or 1 cup frozen
- 2 cups white cheddar cheese , grated.
- Option for Fewer Calories: No pie crust , use egg whites only, turkey bacon (If you find a brand that’s nightshade free, please share!), and additional cooked vegetables.
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To make the crust, please follow these instructions at Sally’s Baking Addiction (http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/favorite-homemade-pie-crust/), she explains it so clearly and her recipe has yet to let me down! It will need to be in the fridge for at least 2 hours, so time accordingly. If you have your own favourite recipe for pie crust, feel free to use that. If you aren't dealing with food allergies, a pre-made pie crust will do in a pinch.
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Preheat oven to 350° F.
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Cook/boil spinach in a small pot on the stove.
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Cook bacon until crispy, then remove from heat and place on paper towel covered plate to drain.
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Scramble the eggs in a large bowl and set aside.
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Grate 2 cups white cheddar cheese and set aside.
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Place pie dough into greased pie pan or round cake pan. Make sure it has contact with all the edges and sides by pushing gently with fingers.
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Bake the pie crust alone for 5 minutes (this part is important! It prevents it from getting soggy once it’s cooking with all the ingredients are inside).
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Sprinkle cooked bacon evenly onto the bottom. Add cooked spinach over top. Try to keep it as even as possible and gently spread apart any clumps. Sprinkle grated cheese, and then pour scrambled eggs over top.
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Place in the oven, and cook about 30 minutes, or until middle is firm (toothpick comes out clean).
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Let it cool about 5 minutes and then serve if you like it hot (I do!), or let it cool all the way and refrigerate overnight.
Serve for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, elevensies, high tea, whenever you want!
