Melora Johnson's Muse

Sorry, this recipe is decidedly traditional – gluten and all. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to the gluten free soon. I tried a quiche last weekend but I wasn’t satisfied with how it turned out so I did a little research, talked to my mom, and tried again this weekend. The first time I used fried uncured pancetta, and it was tasty but it sank to the bottom, along with the cheese, leaving a fluffy egg top mostly devoid of the bits that make it better. My mother suggested sprinkling the meat on the top. I thought maybe if I grated the cheese finer and mixed it into the egg and cream before pouring it into the crust that would help. I also ended up using Canadian bacon, which is lighter than the little cubes of pancetta. Both tasted delicious but I think I’d like a little bit more egg and less cream. I might try an egg bake soon that does that.

Meat and Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening (Or shortening of your choice.)
• 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 4 ounces baby Swiss cheese
• 4 ounces fried pancetta (second quiche I diced up 3 ounces Canadian bacon)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Measure 120 grams or 1 cup of flour into a bowl.
2. Add the ¼ teaspoon salt and stir together.
3. Cut in the shortening. (If you don’t have a pastry blender, get one, but two knives will work. You can also pulse in a food processor.)
4. Pour in the water and mix then press together into a disc of dough.
5. Place between two squares of parchment paper, flouring below and on top of the dough.
6. Roll the dough out into a large circle.
7. Cut and tack pieces onto any place that cracked, using a little water and flour after.
8. Gently peel the top parchment off.
9. Put pie plate onto dough face down and slide hand under the parchment then flip the whole thing over.
10. Peel off the parchment.
11. Ease dough into pie plate.
12. Turn edges back and flute the crust.
13. Chill for at least 30 minutes in fridge.
14. While chilling dough, preheat oven to 425.
15. Dice onion and Canadian bacon, if using.
16. Grate cheese.
17. Whisk eggs, cream, and seasonings thoroughly.
18. Stir cheese in.
19. Pour egg mix into par-baked crust.
20. Sprinkle with ham and onion.
21. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
22. Turn oven down to 300 and bake 30 minutes.
23. Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.
24. Enjoy!