Breakfast Pie
Anything worth eating tastes better in a pie crust. So, why not breakfast?
I’m going to tell you this is breakfast pie because, well, it is breakfast pie … but also because breakfast pie sounds much more achievable (and less like an old lady luncheon) than quiche Lorraine. The traditional French quiche is really just an onion tart: an open-faced pie filled with a creamy onion custard, a little cheese, and some form of bacon. Master the art of a really good pie crust and you’ve got something - breakfast in a pie crust. The key is cooking the onions down into a deep golden jam that tastes so good it might never see the bottom of a pie crust. The printable recipe below includes a homemade pie crust. You can find step by step photos here.
Breakfast Pie (Quiche Lorraine)
Making a good quiche requires patience and a lot of onions - three or four cups to be more precise. They are cooked into oblivion with repetitive additions of water to soften them and extract their flavor. With each turn, the onions brown and caramelize even more.
Ingredients
1 par-baked pie crust (see recipe here)
1 tsp butter
4 oz diced pancetta
3 large onions, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups water
3 eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half or cream
1/2 cup grated Gruyere or other sharp cheese
3-4 tbsp goat cheese
Recommended salad for serving
1 grapefruit, peeled and cut into 1” segments
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 handful fresh mint leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Prepare the crust according to the pie crust recipe. This is a par-baked, single-crust - so we are pre-baking the crust, filling it, and baking it again. If you buy a pre-made crust (which you shouldn’t), see the crust recipe for par-baking instructions. Cook the filling while the crust chills to save time.
Cook the pancetta in the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is crispy and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. Add the onions and half of the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cook another 10 minutes until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown.
Add 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and cook another 10 minutes. The onions will get softer, browner, and begin to stick a little as the liquid evaporates. Repeat this process 2-3 more times until all the water has been used and the onions become a thick, deep-golden jam. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. This process takes about 30 minutes.
Whisk the eggs, half-and-half, half of the Gruyere, all of the goat cheese, and the remaining salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add the cooled onion mixture and thoroughly incorporate.
Pour everything into the par-baked crust and top with the remaining Gruyere.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375° F.
Allow to cool for ten minutes and slice. Serve with a bright, fresh salad to balance the richness of the pie.
