Classic Quiche Lorraine and a No-Fail Pie Crust

I'll never understand where the saying "Real men don't eat quiche" came from.  This classic quiche is filled with bacon, eggs, cheese, cream tucked inside a rich pastry.  What's a guy not to love?  This is a really simple, easy dinner to whip up and doesn't cost a lot of money in ingredients.  It's even faster if you have crumbled bacon and pie crusts ready and waiting in your freezer.  I like to prepare these two things in large batches since they are a bit time consuming, freeze them and just thaw when I'm pressed for time.  We had this last night with a quick fruit salad but it would be equally good with a green salad. 

When I make a fruit salad I simply chop all of the fruit into bite-sized pieces.  Then I mix it with just a few squeezes of lemon juice to preserve the color.  Then I add a handful of shredded coconut and maybe some raisins or dried cranberries if I have them on hand.  The coconut and dried fruit gives a nice chewy texture to the salad.

The pie crust recipe that follows is my go-to recipe.  Don't be intimidated by making your own pie crust! It is so simple and the results are so amazing, once you've done it a few times you'll never go back to those store-bought processed crusts.

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1 single crust of Rich Butter Pie Crust (recipe follows)

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 c. shredded gruyere or swiss cheese

4 eggs

2 cups half & half

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

dash cayenne pepper

dash nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425. 

Line a deep 9" pie dish or quiche pan with pastry and flute the edges as you like.  Sprinkle bacon evenly over the unbaked shell.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over that.  In a large bowl mix eggs, half & half, milk, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg, well.  Carefully pour over the bacon and cheese.  Bake 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 25-30 mins longer until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5-10 min. before serving.

Rich Butter Pie Crust

This recipe is for a single crust pie.  It is easy to double for a double crust pie.

1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
3-4 Tbsp. cold water

Stir flour and salt together in a medium bowl.  With a pastry blender or fork cut in the butter until the pieces are the size of small peas.  Add the smaller amount of water and toss with a fork until it begins to come together.  If necessary add remaining water to crumbs in the bottom of the bowl.  It is very important to not overwork the dough.  You want the ingredients to stay cool. It may seem a bit crumbly, but that is what makes it oh-so-flaky in the finished dish.  Gather the dough in your hands and press into a ball.  Roll out to desired size, or tightly wrap in plastic wrap then aluminum foil to freeze.