Quiche Lorraine

Spring is so close you can taste it. The daffodil bulbs we forced in our basement this winter are starting to bloom. But spring is still not close enough to give up winter's comfort foods just yet. Back from our trip to Philadelphia, it was time for quiche. The recipe below is simply delicious, and you could easily swap out the extras if you liked. The filling is adapted from Anne Willan's The Country Cooking of France. For a side Rebecca made an white bean salad with quick pickled red onion, feta, CSA dilly beans, and a garlic mustard vinaigrette. 

Ingredients:

   Dough:

• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup cake flour
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 tablespoons shortening
• 1/4 cup cold water

   Filling:

• 1/2 large sweet onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 strips bacon (cut into short strips)
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup cheese (in this case Tomme style aged goat cheese)

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. In a food processor, pulse flours, sugar and salt until blended. Add butter (cut into 1 T chunks), and pulse 6 times. Add shortening (cut 1 T chunks), and pulse 6 more times. Add 1/4 cold water, and pulse additional 6 times.
3. Squeeze the dough together to form a ball, and flatten into a rough disk (about 3/4" think, 5" in diameter) with your hands.  Wrap in plastic wrap and put into the freezer to rest for 10 minutes.
4. While the dough rests start the filling.  Mince the onion, add to a medium saute pan with 1 T butter, and cook on medium heat until caramelized. In a separate pan cook the bacon on medium-low heat until crisp.
5. Remove the dough from the freezer, it should be firm but not stiff. Roll in a circle to about 1/8" thick. Oil and flour a tart pan, and put in the dough, ensuring  you get the dough evenly in into the corners of the pan. Prick with a fork and blind bake at 400, for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool until ready to add the filling. Reduce the oven to 375.
6. Whisk together the sour cream, heavy cream, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg. Add the onions and bacon strips. Cut the cheese into small cubes and spread on the bottom of the cooling tart shell. Pour the filling over the cheese cubes. 
7. Bake for 25 minutes, cool 5 minutes, eat.