Bacon, Gruyere & Endive Quiche

This was taken directly from All I Dream About Food blog.  I love the ingredients and it's another way to make something low in sugar, grain & starch free.  And, this looks to be quite tasty.  I hope to try this recipe in the next couple weeks, getting up early to do this or doing this the night before or a weekend breakfast.  It's something different than just eggs.

Asparagus, Chicken Chorizo, Cheddar Quiche (replace bacon, endive & Gruyere)

Cabbage & Pesto Quiche w/Cayenne

There are infinite variety of quiches you can make, as many as you can concoct.  Off of the original recipe, I have now made 4 other quiches.  One I forgot to take a picture, which is an Eggplant, Red Pepper & Hot Italian Sausage Quiche.  You don't even have to add cheese to your quiches, if you have lactose issues.  The cream in the quiche makes it rich and good, so the cheese isn't necessary unless you want extra richness and flavor.  The last couple quiches I didn't use any cheese and they tasted just as great.

They are so easy to whip up.  Takes less than an hour total time, including baking time.  Baking times may vary depending upon the type of dish you put the quiche in.  Be creative.


Serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 4 heads California endive
• 4 oz Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a glass or ceramic pie plate well.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Drain all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat from skillet.

Cut off root end of endive and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Add endive to skillet over medium-high heat and cook until wilted and soft, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Layer endive, bacon and shredded Gruyere in pie plate. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, garlic, salt and pepper until well-combined. Pour filling over endive, bacon and cheese in pie plate. Bake 30 minutes, or until top is puffy and golden brown and quiche is set and no longer jiggles when shaken.

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My Comments:

Bacon was already cooking, but my ingredients + spray olive oil (endive looks like mini napa cabbage)

• I finally made this dish today (3/10/12).  It's the first day of Spring Break for my children.  They have one week and I thought I would treat them to a delicious (and expensive) egg dish.  It's been awhile since I made a quiche. 

• Instead of using regular bacon, I had some uncured, no nitrite beef bacon.  This is still very flavorful and less fatty.  The cheese & heavy cream I'm using will give the dish plenty of fat.    Well, I did have 2 slices of no nitrite regular bacon left.  Put on BROIL for 15 min, then turned & BROILED for another 5 min. and chopped by hand.



3 Endives (not the curly kind) cut in 1/2" slices start cooking



Cooked for 5-7 min. later on medium high heat

• Used 3 endives instead of 4 (only bought 3).  This was perfect as I used a shallow 9" pie dish.  4 would've been too much. 



Wet Mixture & Grated Guyere (looks like Mozarrella but way different taste)

• This is the first time I've actually grated cheese in a long time.  As a kid, shredded cheese wasn't as readily available that I can recall.  Used to shred cheddar cheese all the time for pizza.  The guyere did not come shredded. 
• Used heavy cream.  Is there such a thing as lighter cream?  I'm still trying to get used to the fact that it's alright to eat all this fat, though, I do not use cream too often.  However, it did seem like the 2 weeks I periodically used heavy cream, I had better results in losing inches & weight/bodyfat.



Endive on Bottom, Bacon Next



Just looks like a mass of cheese on top

• This is as best of layer as I could do.  Endive first, then bacon, then cheese. 



Start pouring from CENTER first and slowly or this will happen

• Since my pie dish was shallow, I made the mistake of pouring too quickly and ended up spilling some of it.  I could hear my voice telling my daughter to not be silly and be more careful and here I was making such a mess. 



Right out of the oven (toaster oven)



Can you smell it?  I can still remember the beautiful smell of cheese & bacon

• So here is the finished product.  As I was taking my measurements, doing my progress pictures and video for Week 6, I could smell the quiche baking and the house smelled so delicious. 



My daughter's slice - yummy

• This is what it looks like sliced.  I baked it in the toaster oven for 35 min. at 350° F instead of the 30 min.  There was no real reason, execpt that I didn't think it would hurt it.  However, I'm thinking I should've baked it for another 3-5 min. more to let the middle set a little more, but the way I did was fine anyway.



Will probably be all gone before lunch or end of day

• As Carolyn (from the All I Dream About Food blog) said, this serves 6.  That is 3 large slices.  If you're counting fat, don't eat this dish, but it is a great dish for those on low carb diets.  If you're paleo, this is not a dish for you due to the cheese, but it is so yummy.  You could nix the cheese and add different herbs to it to make it paleo. 
• I have some fresh asparagus, a fresh red pepper, cheddar cheese, and some chorizo.  Maybe I'll get up earlier than my normal early and make a different quiche tomorrow before church?  I'm feeling quiche motivated.
• Thanks for the recipe, Carolyn!