Alpine onion quiche

photo credit: loveandoliveoil.com

For the crust:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon sugar

12 tbsp cold butter, cut into ½” pieces.

½ cup ice water

For the filling:

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

2 ½ pounds onions, finely chopped

1 ½ tbsp all purpose flour

½ cup diced bacon or mushroom (optional)

2-3 large eggs

⅔ cup heavy cream or milk

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup hard alpine cheese, grated

salt

If making the crust, add dry ingredients to a food processor and mix with a few pulses or stirs. (You can also use a bowl and pastry cutter for this.) Be sure butter is cold and add to the flour mixture, pulsing several times to achieve lumpy texture. Add ice cold water one tablespoon at a time with quick pulses until dough is crumbly and holds its shape when pressed. Turn mixture onto lightly floured surface and form into a ball, sprinkling with a few more drops of ice water if necessary. Flatten ball into a disc and refrigerate for at least 30 min and up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, remove from fridge and roll out into 11” disk on lightly floured surface, drape over 9” tart pan or pie dish, and gently press dough down into corners. Using a fork, poke evenly spaced holes in the bottom of the dough. Keep chilled until ready to bake.

While dough chills, in a skillet heat 3 tablespoons of butter (reserving 1tbsp) and oil over low heat. Add onions and cook very gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour until very soft and sweet. If onions begin to brown, turn heat down. A little browning is fine but the onions should remain pale. Five minutes before onions are done, stir in flour to cook off raw taste. Once done, remove from heat.

While onions cook, preheat oven to 400℉. Place a pan over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until browned, then place on a plate lined with a paper towel. If using mushroom, add a teaspoon of salt to the pan and dry saute the mushrooms, stirring infrequently, until liquid is drawn out and mushrooms are browned.

Line the pie crust with a piece of parchment paper and weigh down with pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice. Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and take out parchment paper and weights. Reduce oven to 375℉ degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, pepper, nutmeg, and salt to taste. Fold in cooled onions and half of the grated cheese. Scatter bacon or mushrooms along the bottom of the crust shell. Scrape egg, onion, cheese mixture into shell, smooth out, and scatter remaining cheese on top. Cube remaining butter into pea sized bits, and dot on top of pie.

Place in oven and bake at 375℉ until puffed and browned, about 25-30 min. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. If using tart pan, deform from tart tin and slide onto wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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