The No-Cheese Quiche, That Doesn't Miss The Cheese

 



Yes it's true!  You don't need cheese to make a great quiche.  In fact, Nick Malgieri, who wrote the cookbook Pastry, told Tonia's Kitchen that he might just have to show up in your kitchen to stop you...if you dare use cheese!  Just kidding, but Nick does say his filling is made up of nothing more than heavy cream, or crème fresh, eggs beaten and salt, pepper and nutmeg.  The crust, he says, is key. He uses flour, salt, baking powder, lots of butter and eggs blended in a food processor.  Nick told Tonia you shouldn't pre-bake the crust, and you won't have to if you use the bottom rack of your oven.  Chances are, you'll never miss the cheese!

• 1 frozen single pie crust
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ pound slab bacon with rind removed, diced
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• 3 large eggs eggs
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Fit the pie crust into a quiche pan or 9-inch pie dish, and cover the crust with a sheet of aluminum foil. Fill the crust with pie weights or dried beans.

• Step 2

  Bake the crust in the preheated oven just until the edges begin to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and take out the pie weights and aluminum foil.

• Step 3

  Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the bacon until browned, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, then sprinkle the bacon into the partially-baked crust. Whisk the cream, eggs, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg together in a bowl, and pour into the crust.

• Step 4

  Return to oven, and bake until the filling is set in the middle and the quiche is puffy and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool until warm, about 1 hour, to serve.