Quiche Recipe

Make and blind-bake crust

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt and sugar. Add cold cubed butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing until dough begins to come together. Press into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch (23 cm) fluted tart pan with removable bottom, trimming excess and crimping edges. Chill shell 15 minutes in pan to relax dough.

Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, prick bottom lightly with a fork, and bake 5–8 minutes more until pale golden. Reduce oven temp to 350°F (175°C).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs until blended. Whisk in milk and heavy cream until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set custard aside.

While crust chills, cook diced bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool. Reserve about 1 teaspoon bacon fat in skillet.

Add 1 teaspoon olive oil or reserved bacon fat to the skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly caramelized, about 8–10 minutes. Cool slightly.

Evenly scatter cooked bacon, caramelized onion and grated Gruyère across the prebaked crust. Sprinkle chopped chives over top.

Carefully pour the egg-milk custard over the fillings in the crust, leaving about 1/4 inch headspace. Tap the pan gently on the counter to remove bubbles and settle the custard.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) on the center rack for 30–40 minutes, until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly but is not liquid. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the center should read about 165°F (74°C). If the crust edge browns too quickly, cover the rim with foil.

Remove quiche from oven and cool on a rack at least 15 minutes before slicing so filling finishes setting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cut quiche into 6 equal slices. Plate each slice with your choice of accompaniment: house pasta salad, green salad, a cup of soup, fries or fresh fruit. To upgrade for additional $2 (if applicable), substitute french onion soup, a half pasta salad of the day, or a bowl of soup of the day.

Variations: swap bacon and Gruyère for spinach and feta (1.5 cups fresh baby spinach sautéed until wilted + 1 cup crumbled feta), or mushroom and Swiss (8 oz sliced mushrooms sautéed in 1 tbs butter + 1.5 cups Swiss cheese). Ensure fillings are cooked and cooled before adding to custard.