Bacon and Cheese Quiche with Stewed Tomatoes

A bit of smokey flavor and a silky texture makes this quiche special but it’s the stewed tomatoes that make this quiche luxurious.

Before you tell me this dish is Quiche Lorraine, I will tell you that in most of the world, you are correct.

Several years ago I noticed in The Way to Cook in Julia Child that she had a recipe for bacon and cheese quiche and a recipe for Quiche Lorraine and they were indeed different ingredients. 

I’m not one to question “The Queen” as my cousin calls Julia, but it did make me question what I thought was Quiche Lorraine. Thankfully, it didn’t take much digging to get the answer. Quiche Lorraine in France is only bacon as an “addition” to the base and the custard is made with cream. However the rest of the world makes it with bacon and cheese.

If you want to call a bacon and cheese quiche Quiche Lorraine, please go ahead. I wouldn’t bat an eye or think it’s wrong. 

Bacon and Cheese Quiche Ingredients
¾ lb of bacon (about 12 pieces)
8 oz Swiss cheese
6 eggs
1 ½ c (approximately Half and Half)
1 tsp salt 
1 tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper (cayenne)
¾ tsp nutmeg
butter (small amount)

Bacon and Cheese Quiche Direction
Preheat the oven to 300. Put the bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. It’s ok if the oven hasn’t reached temperature yet when the bacon goes in it.

After 15 minutes, turn the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for about 10 more minutes. Use a spatula to lift the bacon pieces and place it back down maintaining a single layer. Please don’t hate me. If you don’t do it and you cook the bacon as crispy as I like it, it will stick to the pan. Place it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes. The time will depend on the thickness of your bacon and how crispy you like it. I like mine nearly burnt but there is no wrong way to cook it for this dish. When the bacon is done, put it on a paper towel lined plate and put the oven on 325.

Grate the cheese and set it aside.

Crack 6 eggs into a 3 c measuring cup. Add enough half and half to bring the mixture to 3 c. Add it to a medium size bowl.

Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp red pepper, and ¾ tsp nutmeg to the eggs. Whisk until the eggs and half and half are completely blended. You should see no pockets of yellow or egg whites.

Butter a 7 ½” pie plate. Take the bacon and break it into about ¼”-½” pieces. The size doesn’t matter much. 

Sprinkle half of the cheese in the pie plate and add the cheese on top of the meat. Gently pour the egg mixture into the pan and add ½ of the remaining cheese.

Bake for about 25 minutes and rotate the dish 180 degrees. Bake for 10 more minutes and top the quiche with the remaining cheese. Bake about 5 more minutes and the cheese should be  melted with just a little wobble in the center of quiche. Remove from the oven. 

Allow to set for about 15 minutes before serving. Add a dollop of the stewed tomatoes on the side of the quiche.

Stewed Tomatoes Ingredients
3 Tbl olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves
1 shallot
2 c grape tomatoes 
⅛ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¾ tsp thyme

Stewed Tomatoes Directions
Add 3 Tbl of olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat.

Slice the dry end off of the 3-4 garlic gloves. Smash the cloves with the flat size of a knife to pop the skins off. Thinly slice the garlic pole to pole. Add it to the oil. You should see small bubbles around the garlic. If you don’t, increase the heat.

Slice off the ends of the shallot. Peel off the paper skin and cut it in half pole to pole. Put the shallot cut side down and slice it thinly pole to pole. Repeat with the second half of the shallot.

As the garlic cooks, it will become fragrant then will start to turn golden in color. At the first sign of color on the garlic, add the shallots, 2 c tomatoes, ⅛ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and ¾ tsp thyme to the oil. 

The tomatoes will become very soft. Take a fork and gently press them down. If the tomatoes give resistance, keep cooking before smashing them.

After you smash the tomatoes, the pan will have liquid in it. Keep cooking until the liquid thickens. You want it thick enough to put on top of bread but still has enough moisture that it doesn’t completely hold its shape. 

Notes
I love the stewed tomatoes however they can quickly overpower the quiche so it’s best served on the side of it. I usually toast a rustic bread slice and top it with the stewed tomatoes to eat on the side with the quiche.

This is a crustless quiche. I prefer it over one with a crust. If you want the crust, go for it. Blind bake the crust and proceed like normal. Some people say to melt the cheese in the crust a few minutes before adding the other ingredients to help maintain an extra crispy crust. 

This is Julia Child’s ratio for the custard mixture. I think it’s perfection. You can also use milk or cream in place of the half and half.

If you want to be “extra”, put the quiche under a broiler after you add the last amount of cheese. Please, please, please make sure your pie plate is broiler safe before putting it under a broiler.