QUICHE ESSENTIALS: SPINACH, MUSHROOM, BACON TART

Quiche Essentials: Spinach, Mushroom, Bacon Tart image

Is it a quiche, or is it a tart? Well, it is a quiche recipe baked in a tart pan. And if you want to go a bit crazy, I just came up with a savory cream cheese pie crust, that knocks this recipe right out of the park. One more thing: We are using evaporated milk; as opposed to milk or cream. I found that the evaporated milk gives...

Provided by Andy Anderson !

Time 1h

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

PLAN/PURCHASE
1 large savory piecrust, more on this later
4 slice uncured thick cut bacon, diced
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
8 oz brown or white button mushrooms, stemmed and thickly sliced
8 oz chopped frozen spinach, defrosted
6 oz gruyère cheese, freshly grated
5 oz evaporated milk, 1 small can
4 large farm fresh eggs
1/2 tsp salt, kosher variety
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp white pepper, freshly ground
1 - 2 pinch nutmeg
OPTIONAL ITEMS
pecorino romano, freshly grated

Steps:

1. PREP/PREPARE
2. Chef's Tip: One of the tricks to making a good quiche is the proper balance of liquids in the recipe. There are a lot of places that liquids can hide, and ruin the dish. So, we are essentially going to precook our veggies, and remove as much hidden moisture as possible.
3. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place)
4. Place your pie crust in a tart pan, and blind bake in a 350f (175c) oven until it begins to brown, about 10 - 12 minutes.
5. Place the crust in the fridge, and move on to the filling.
6. Chef's Note: If you are looking for a really yummy savory pie crust, here ya go: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/savory-pies/pastry-essentials-cream-cheese-pie-crust.html
7. Add the bacon to a large skillet over medium heat.
8. Cook until the bacon begins to brown, and renders its fat into the skillet, about 5 - 7 minutes.
9. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.
10. Add the onions to the skillet, and cook them in the bacon grease, until they begin to soften, about 3 - 5 minutes.
11. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
12. Add the mushrooms, and cook until they soften and release their moisture, about 5 - 7 minutes.
13. Add the spinach, and continue to cook until most of the moisture has evaporated, about 3 - 5 minutes.
14. Take the skillet off the heat.
15. Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 375f (190c).
16. Grate the cheese.
17. Chef's Note: You could use different cheeses; however, some cheese get very oily when cooked. I choose Gruyère because it is very stable when heated, and it is a perfect complement to the other ingredients in this recipe.
18. Add the eggs, evaporated milk, salt, mustard powder, pepper, and nutmeg to a bowl, and whisk to combine.
19. Add the cheese, milk/egg mixture to the skillet, and mix to combine.
20. Remove the tart crust from the fridge, and add the filling.
21. Add to the preheated oven, and bake until bubbly, and beginning to brown, about 35 - 40 minutes.
22. Chef's Note: If you really want to give this recipe an added level of flavor, sprinkle a bit of freshly-grated Pecorino Romano on the top before placing it into the oven, and then sprinkle a bit more on when you take it out.
23. PLATE/PRESENT
24. Serve while still nice and warm. Enjoy
25. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.