Asparagus and Bacon Quiche

One of my favorite spring vegetables is asparagus. We were having brinner one night so  I thought this would be a great recipe to try. It was a success! My kids wouldn't try it but my husband and I liked it. For the original recipe, click here. 

Asparagus and Bacon Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie-crust (see recipe below)
• 6 oz asparagus, ends trimmed off
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 slices bacon
• 3 eggs
• 5 oz freshly grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil on the stove. Once boiling, drop in the asparagus and quickly blanch for 30 seconds until bright green. Quickly drain water and run cold water over asparagus. Set aside to cool.
3. Fry bacon crisp in a cast-iron skillet over low/medium heat. Once crisp, remove from heat and set the bacon to drain on paper towels but do not toss the bacon grease! Crumble or chop bacon once cool.
4. Reheat your bacon-greased skillet over medium high heat then sauté the onions for about four minutes, until soft and translucent. Add garlic for a minute. Remove from heat.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, crumbled bacon and sautéed onions and garlic. Prick crust all over with a fork, then sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Pour the milk and eggs mixture over the cheese.  *** I greased the pie plate with cooled bacon grease to increase the flavor
6. Slice the blanched asparagus into 1 1/2" pieces on an angle and scatter over the cheese in the unbaked pie crust.
7. Carefully place filled quiche on a sheet tray and into the oven for 1 hour.
8. After 1 hour, the quiche should be puffy and golden. Let cool completely (it’s best to make this at least an hour before) before slicing.

I thought a whole wheat crust would be best with this quiche and this recipe was a perfect pairing.

Whole Wheat Crust

YIELD: 2 (10 inch) pie crusts

 

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Cut the butter and shortening into a small dice, then place them in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour,corn starch, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, then pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the butter and shortening pieces over the top. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of chickpeas. Some of the pieces will be small and others will be larger (about the size of a thumbnail).
2. With the machine running, add 4 tablespoons ice water to feed tube. Add the remaining water one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough is moist enough to hold together with a small portion is pinched between your fingers. Pulse the machine until the dough forms a shaggy ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured board and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Once chilled, divide the dough in two. Use both immediately or wrap and refrigerate for up to two days or freeze for up to two months.