Mushroom, Bacon Quiche with Herbes de Provence Crust

This is another great brunch recipe to try along with the Leek and Pepper Boursin Quiche.  I love mushrooms and bacon and this combination, along with some herbes de provence in the crust, was delicious.   You can make this ahead of time, freeze it and save it for when you don't have much time and need a quick lunch or dinner.



You will need:

For one single crust:

• 200g (about 1 1/4 cups) of white flour
• 100g (1/2 cup) of room temperature/cool butter (take the butter out of the fridge about 1/2 hour before using)
• 1/2 - 1tsp of salt (depending on whether you use salted or unsalted butter)
• 3-4 tbsp of cold water
• 1 tbsp of dried herbes de provence (can be found in the spice section of the supermarket)

_____________________________

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°C);
2. You can either use a food processor or make the dough by hand;
3. With the food processor, put the flour (200g - 1/1/4 cups), salt (1/2 - 1tsp) and herbes de provence (1tbsp) in the bowl and pulse just to blend together;
4. Add cold butter (100g - 1/2 cup) cut in large pieces and pulse until you have a mixture that resembles coarse breadcrumbs;
5. Slowly add cold (3 - 4 tbsp) water through the feeding tube and stop mixing when dough just comes together;
6. Transfer to your work surface and knead once or twice.  Shape to form a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 45 minutes (this will relax the gluten and facilitate rolling out the dough later);
7. Roll out the dough to overlap your dish by 1.5cm (1/2'') (this will compensate for shrinking in the oven);
   
8. Pierce many holes in the bottom of the dough with a fork to prevent it from rising while it cooks;
9. Line the crust with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans (also to prevent dough from rising);
10. Place in the oven and immediately lower the heat to 375°F (190°C).  Bake for 15 minutes;
11. Remove the dried beans and foil and continue to bake for another 5 minutes (this is called blind baking and ensures that you will not end up with a soggy, undercooked crust);
12. Take out of the oven and reserve.
13. To make the dough by hand - take a look at the technique used in the Tourtière du Québec recipe.

For the Mushroom, Bacon Quiche - one large quiche for 5 - 6 servings

• 8 medium (130g) cremini mushrooms (darker than the button mushrooms), cleaned, tip of stem removed and sliced evenly
• 1tbsp oil
• 3 slices of bacon (50g) cut in small pieces
• 1 tbsp water (to add to the cooking bacon to prevent it from becoming too crisp)
• 3 large eggs
• 250ml (1 cup) of 15% cooking cream
• Salt and pepper

____________________

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F);
2. Sauté the mushrooms (8 medium, sliced - 130g) in oil (1tbsp) over medium heat until water is rendered and they colour slightly (about 15 minutes).  Set aside;
3. Cook the bacon pieces (3 slices - 50g) with the water (1tbsp) over medium heat until just beginning to colour (about 10 minutes).  Set aside;
4. In medium bowl, whisk eggs (3 large), cream (250ml - 1 cup) and salt and pepper to taste;
5. Sprinkle the bacon pieces and mushrooms evenly over the bottom of the pre-baked crust and cover with the egg mixture;
6. Cook until centre of the quiche is set and firm when gently touched (about 30 minutes).
7. Enjoy!