Bacon, Mushroom and Broccoli Quiche

Quiche is one of those dishes that is suitable for almost any situation.  Serve it in the morning alongside some fresh fruit and mimosas and call it brunch.  Serve it for lunch with a simple green salad.  Serve it for dinner as a wonderful main course.  It is highly adaptable and highly delicious!  The vegetables, etc. that you mix in are also very adaptable.  This particular combination was great but you could use any number of things – spinach, roasted bell peppers, leeks, potatoes, artichokes, sausage, crab…use your imagination!  You can use a variety of cheeses as well.  I used gruyere because I had it on hand, and well, it’s awesome.

There are two main methods you could use for cooking the meat and vegetables, and I think they result in significantly different flavors of the quiche.  In this case, I cooked the bacon in the skillet, set it aside and then proceeded to cook the vegetables (minus the broccoli) in the same skillet.  This infused the whole quiche with a strong bacon flavor.  So, if you are a bacon lover (I know there are TONS out there!) then go this route.  Since I enjoy bacon but do not love it as many do, I think next time I will cook the bacon separately.  I made my favorite pie crust recipe for this.  I have posted directions for making it in the stand mixer (so simple, I can’t resist!) but you can click the link below for the original recipe with instructions for making it by hand.  Enjoy!

Bacon, Mushroom and Broccoli Quiche
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tbsp. very cold water

For the filling:
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 medium onion, minced and sautéed
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups gruyere, shredded
1 tbsp. flour

Directions:
To make the crust, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar and salt.  Add the butter to the flour mixture and toss with a fork to coat.  Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal with the butter pieces no larger than small peas.  Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.  

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it is about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick.  Lift and turn frequently during the rolling process to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface.  Transfer the dough a 9-inch pie plate.  Trim most of the excess from the edges and use your fingers to create a fluted edge. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  Line the pie crust with foil and fill with pie weights.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove the pie weights and foil and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.  Remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees F.  

To make the quiche filling, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs and milk.  Mix in the bacon, onion, mushrooms, broccoli and salt. In a separate bowl, toss the cheese and flour together.  Add the cheese to the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crust and bake 35-40 minutes or until the filling is almost completely set but slightly jiggly in the center.  Let the quiche rest for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.  

Source: crust adapted from Williams Sonoma, quiche adapted from Use Real Butter