Quiche Today - Tarts Tomorrow

Bacon Cheddar Quiche

I find myself in a make ahead mood as the holidays get ever closer. Here's a way to make a very tasty bacon cheddar quiche to enjoy today plus nine tarts you can slide into the freezer for a quick addition to your holiday appetizer tray. (Of course, you can always opt to eat or freeze it all today.)

To start you will need some pastry dough, enough for one nine-inch pie shell and 9 tart shells. You can buy pre-made pastry dough and roll it out, or buy ready-made uncooked pie shells and tarts. It's up to you. I like to make a batch of pastry dough to have on hand in the freezer and will share that recipe in a future post (now posted at flaky lardy piecrust).

You will also need some bacon. Choose whatever kind you like - regular, low salt, maple - but I find that pork works better here than turkey bacon or other skillet strips. I cut the bacon into small pieces before frying it. A pair of kitchen shears makes this easy. I use old cheddar cheese but you can substitute a mild cheddar. For a different flavour experience, you can use a Swiss cheese. You can use any type of milk - I use skim - and any kind of cream - I use half-and-half, which is half milk, half cream (using any less cream will work but you'll miss some richness). It all depends on how much butterfat you want to include.

This quiche is great for dinner served with a nice fresh salad and is equally at home as part of a breakfast or brunch buffet.


Bacon Cheddar Quiche and Tarts

 Preheat oven to 375° F.

pastry dough or pre-made crusts, enough for 1-9” crust for quiche and 9 tart shells

1 lb bacon, cut into small pieces

2 cups onions, finely chopped

1 ½ cups old cheddar cheese, grated, and divided in half

6 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup half-and-half cream

½ tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

If using pastry dough, roll out the crust and fit into 9” pie plate, trimming excess from edge. Then roll out dough for tarts. Use cookie cutter or overturned glass to cut out nine circles and fit each into tart pan.

Use kitchen shears to cut bacon

Cut bacon into small pieces using a knife and/or kitchen shears. In a large pan, fry bacon until crisp but not dry. Place bacon on paper towels to sop up any excess fat. Remove most of the bacon fat from pan, leaving a little to coat the pan.

Gently sauté onions in remaining bacon fat until softened. (Instead of bacon fat, you can use a bit of butter or olive oil.)

Ready to fill shells

In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, cream, nutmeg and pepper. Stir well with lots of love. 

Into the prepared piecrust, place half of the cooked bacon bits and half of the cooked onions. Spoon half of the egg/milk mixture into the piecrust and top with half the cheese.

Divide the remaining bacon and onions between each of the prepared tart shells. Spoon the remaining egg/milk mixture into each of the tart shells and top each with remaining cheese.

Filled and ready for oven

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until top is lightly browned and filling is firm. (The pie will need about 5 minutes longer than the tarts.)

To Enjoy Today: Cool slightly and serve while warm.

For Future Enjoyment: Cool completely. Pie can be wrapped tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, labeled with date, and frozen for up to six months. Tarts can be placed in a freezer container lined with a layer of waxed paper or paper towels to keep them from shifting, labeled with date, and frozen for up to six months. To reheat from frozen, remove from wrap/container. Place on baking sheet in 375° F. oven and heat until warmed through, about 35-45 minutes. If thawed, warm through for about 20 minutes. Using the microwave for reheating is not recommended as the crust will not stay crisp. Serve while warm.

Printable Recipe for MA's Bacon Cheddar Quiche and Tarts

Bacon cheddar tart for future enjoyment