Mushroom Onion Quiche with Bacon

Quiche is one of my favorite lighter meals, though it seems absurd to call something made with heavy cream, eggs, and cheese then folded into a rich, buttery pastry crust "light." A little of this dish goes a long way, however, especially when accompanied by a large green salad.

This quiche can be served warm or cold.

Mushroom Onion Quiche with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1 pastry crust for 9-in pie*
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
  
• 1 pound assorted mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (½ oz.) packet of dried porcini mushrooms - reconstitutes to 2 oz.
• sherry
  
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 6 ounces cheese, grated (1 ½ cups) - traditionally, this dish would call for Gruyère, but a nice sharp cheddar also works nicely in this dish
  

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms to reconstitute them. Let them sit for 30 minutes, then strain and chop them coarsely. Set aside.
   


2. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle, or, press the pastry dough into a tart pan or 9-inch pie plate, pressing the dough into corners.
   


3. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes if the crust seems to be oily or greasy. We want the fat in the crust to be cold when it goes into the oven.
   
   If you do put the pastry in the fridge to chill, be sure to take it out and let it sit on the counter so the dish can come to room temperature. Putting a cold dish into a hot oven spells disaster.
   


4. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the pastry with a circle of parchment paper or aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges.
   


5. Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or ceramic pie weights. Bake first for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.
   


6. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tines of a fork and return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes are for any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.


7. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent but not brown, about 1 minute.
   


8. Add the chopped, fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms first release their liquid.
   


9. Add the rehydrated porcini mushrooms and continue to cook over medium high heat until all the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms are dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
   


10. Add a dash of sherry and cook until that evaporates as well.
    


11. Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread the mushroom and onion mixture over the cheese, crumble some bacon on top of that, top with remaining cheese and bacon.
    


12. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over cheese.
    


13. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing.

* Pastry Crust for 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (½ cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
   


2. While the blade is running, add only enough of the ice water until the dough begins to form a ball. You can test this by grabbing a small handful (when the food processor is turned OFF and unplugged) and squeezing it: If it doesn't hold together, then add more ice water, ½ tablespoon at a time, pulsing until it is just incorporated, then test again.
   
   Be sure not to overwork the dough, or pastry will be tough. We don't want to build up the gluten in this dough, we just want the fat evenly distributed and the dough to hold together when we roll it out.
   


3. Once the dough holds together well, take it out of the bowl of the food processor and shape it into a compact ball. Then, flatten it into a round disc. Wrap the disc of pastry in plastic wrap and put that into a plastic bag and chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
   


4. When you are ready to roll out the dough, take it out of the refrigerator and, on a well-floured surface, roll it with a floured rolling pin until it is approximately 1/8 inch and 12 inches in diameter.
   


5. Transfer it to your pie plate or tart pan.
   

Notes:

• This pastry crust recipe is a basic, all-purpose crust which can be used interchangeably between dessert pies like apple or pumpkin and quiches.
  


• Here is an easy way to transfer a pastry crust to the plate without it ripping:
  
  
  
  • Starting with one outside edge, roll the crust onto the rolling pin until it is all curled around it.
    
  
  
  • Unroll it into your tart pan or pie plate.
    
  
  
  • Trim off the edges and you're ready to blind-bake the pastry
  
  
  
  

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