Spring Vegetable Quiche with Bacon and Cheddar

This recipe, like me, is kind of a bitch. Sorry about it. But I can promise you, it’s totally worth it. Not only am I asking you to make pie dough, I’m asking you to chill it (twice), blind bake it, make a filling, and then bake it all together. Cruel, I know. You may be cursing me out now, but I promise that you’ll thank me in the end. I am just a bitchy girl making bitchy food, what can I say?!

While the method of this recipe may be finicky, the ingredients are extremely flexible--in fact, it’s infinitely riff-able. If you don’t have whole wheat flour, just use all purpose entirely. If you don’t have chives for the crust, add in scallions, shallots, or ramps if they’re available near you (totally got this idea from the one and only Molly Adams and her rockstar quiche). For the filling, throw in whatever fresh or frozen veggies you’re trying to use up. Don’t have kale? Use spinach, mustard greens or chard. Don’t have bacon? Use pancetta, guanciale, sausage, or just skip the meat altogether. If you don’t have milk and sour cream, you can use half and half, cream, crème fraîche or pretty much any other full fat dairy. If you want to use different cheeses, go for it! Gruyere, mozzarella, or goat cheese would all be delicious in this dish. The only non-negotiable here is eggs--please use eggs in your quiche. Now go forth and riff away!

Spring Vegetable Quiche with Bacon and Cheddar

Servings

8-10

Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

Total Time

2 hr 25 min

Equipment

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup fresh chopped chives

1 stick unsalted butter, frozen and grated

2 large eggs, beaten and divided

6-8 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces bacon, diced (about ½ cup)

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped asparagus, tough woody ends discarded, stalks cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup frozen peas

5 large eggs

¾ cup whole milk

¼ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ cup chopped lacinato kale, stems discarded (about ¼ large bunch)

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

‍Method:

Make the crust. Add the flour, whole wheat flour, chives, sugar, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add grated frozen butter and toss to coat. Using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until pea-sized clumps form.

Add 1 beaten egg and 6 tablespoons ice water. Use your hands to gently press the dough together. If it is too dry and crumbly, add 1-2 more tablespoons ice water (you may not need to). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and press into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or overnight if desired).

Once chilled, gently roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle with a 12 inch diameter. Transfer the crust to a 9 inch pie plate. Trim the edges if needed and tuck the excess under before crimping the edges. Prick the bottom and side of the crust all over with a fork. Place back in fridge and let chill for 30 minutes.

While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 400ºF. Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy, 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus and peas and cook until barely softened and vibrant in color, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once the prepared pie dough has chilled, remove from the fridge and line the crust with tin foil or parchment paper (make sure the paper or foil is not covering the edges of the crust) and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Place pie on a sheet pan and in the oven to blind bake for 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully take out the pie weights and paper or foil. Return the pie to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and brush with remaining beaten egg. Cook for a final 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

While the pie crust cools, make the egg custard. In a large bowl whisk eggs, milk, sour cream, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, and black pepper. Set aside.

Add asparagus mixture, kale, reserved bacon, and both cheeses to pie shell. Top with egg mixture and bake until golden brown and the center is set, 45-50 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes for slicing.

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