I don’t know why I found quiche so intimidating to make – it took FOREVER to get up the nerve to try to make it and I quickly found out that it wasn’t nearly as intimidating as I feared.

Although some people prefer quiche without a pie crust, I’m a giant fan of having a crust.  I mean, how can you go wrong by having pie for dinner?  I tend to make nut-based crusts (like this one) for quiche as it adds texture, flavor and removes white flour replacing it with something ‘healthier’ (although quiche is not as bad as junk food, calling it a ‘health food’ would be a stretch, depending on your portion size).

Ingredients

• 1 Pie crust (we used this one one except we used hazelnuts in lieu of pecans)
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 2 cups of heavy cream or whole milk (since we had creme fraiche leftover from New Years, we used 0.75 cups of it and 1.25 cups of water – there’s still plenty of flavor).
• 0.25 pounds of bacon, chopped small.
• 0.25 pounds of brie, chopped roughly.
• 1 Leek, chopped
• 1 Medium-sized onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• A splash (1-2 teaspoons) of cider vinegar
• Paprika to taste
• Dried herbs (1-2 teaspoons of anything you’d like); we used our Herbes Salées.

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
2. Heat a heavy pan (I prefer cast iron) over a medium heat.  You want to make it hot enough that the next step starts with a good sizzle.
3. Toss bacon in the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook until crisp.
4. Remove pan from the heat and remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.  I rest my bacon in a strainer to allow excess fat to drip further.
5. Return the pan to the heat and, after a few seconds, add the leek and onion.  It should be sizzling.  Make sure the heat is on medium – avoid browning the onions but cook until soft and almost clear.
6. Add pepper, paprika and herbs as the onions cook. 
7. Add the bacon and brie into a large bowl.  If the bacon is still hot, the brie will start to melt (a good thing).  Toss the cooked onions (removing them with a slotted spoon) onto the brie and continue to stir to assist the melting of the cheese.
8. Once the brie is distributed through the onion mixture, add the cream and season with a splash of apple cider vinegar.  You can taste your filling now – you shouldn’t notice the vinegar and you may want to add more pepper or paprika.  You likely don’t need to add salt (because of the bacon) so taste first.  After the next step you won’t be able to taste your Quiche until it’s cooked so take your time to see that you have a taste you’re happy with.
9. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they are a consistent color and texture.
10. Add the eggs to the rest of the ingredients.
11. Pour the filling into a pie shell and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes (don’t open the door until the first 30 minutes are done).  The middle of your pie should jiggle slightly when you gently shake the pie pan.  You can also check by sticking a toothpick into it and seeing it come out clean.  If it’s not ready in 30, I check every 5 minutes or so after (this on took about 43).

Let it cool before slicing and serving.

What do you like to put in quiche?