january 27, 2011 - quiche lorraine

tonight i made quiche lorraine for the first time.  it was pretty good and will be on the list to make again.  i got the recipe from my better home and garden's cookbook.  i had made some pie crust a couple weeks ago and had frozen enough leftovers to make a single pie crust.  this was a great basic recipe that would be really easy to add other ingredients like spinach, peppers, sausage, etc...

quiche lorraine

ingredients:
1 pastry for single pie crust (i have an awesome recipe from a friend for pie crust)
6 slices bacon
1 medium onion, sliced
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese (i didn't have swiss, so i used cheddar)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

directions:
1. prepare pastry for single-crust pie.  line the unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of foil.  bake in a 450 degree oven for 8 minutes.  remove foil.  bake 4 to 5 minutes more or till pastry is set and dry.  remove from oven.  reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
2. meanwhile, in a large skillet cook bacon till crisp.  drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings.  crumble bacon; set aside.  cook sliced onion in reserved drippings till tender but not brown; drain.
3. in a medium bowl stir together eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg.  stir in crumbled bacon and onion.  toss together shredded cheese and flour.  add to egg mixture; mix well.
4. pour egg mixture into the hot, baked pastry shell.  bake on a cookie sheet in the 325 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  if necessary, cover edge of crust with foil to prevent overbrowning.  let stand 10 minutes before serving.

** a couple of things i will do differently next time.
- my crust shrunk big time.  i don't think i let it rest long enough before i put it in the oven, but i was in a hurry.
- when i dumped in the egg mixture, it overflowed.  i'm not sure whether there was too much or whether it was because the middle of the pie crust had risen a little.  next time i will push the middle down before pouring in the eggs and maybe use a larger pie tin.
- spray the pie tin before i put the pastry in it.  my crust stuck a little bit.