Anytime my husband comes home with a bag of spinach from our favorite local farmer’s market Sejah Farm, I KNOW that he wants me to make his favorite quiche. On the island, we are lucky to get fresh eggs from the local farmers, as well as homemade bacon at a local butcher shop called “The Basic Butcher”. We adore this because it is a thick-cut bacon, and it  has NO nitrates!

Eggs and Bacon are a classic combination. Add some sharp cheeses and organic sour cream to temper it, and you have an awesome anytime meal! In our house, the smile ends when my husband’s quiche ends. This is a “once in a while” food,  but the pleasure it brings him is priceless.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced onion

2 slices of thick cut bacon or 4-5 slices of regular cut bacon

8 beaten eggs

1/2 cup organic sour cream (I love the Organic Horizon brand)

1/2 cup heavy cream ( Also prefer Horizon organic heavy cream)

1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste

A whisper of freshly grated whole nutmeg (I prefer fresh nutmeg. (See: Dominican Nutmeg)

3-4 cups fresh spinach

2/3 cup sliced Havarti cheese

1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 recipe for your favorite single pie crust

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Pre-bake your favorite recipe for a single pie crust and let it cool. I usually weigh mine down with parchment paper and beans to keep the crust from puffing up and lifting during the pre-bake. Never prick the crust for a quiche as it will allow the egg mixture to seep through.

While the crust is pre-baking, heat a medium pan with about two tablespoons of olive oil. Add six diced slices of bacon and render it down until crispy.

Dice and add to the bacon and rendering, half a small onion, three medium cloves of garlic, about a teaspoon of thyme (or more as desired), and salt and pepper to taste. Stir frequently until onion is soft and translucent.

Add three to four cups of chopped fresh spinach. Allow it to wilt and cook thoroughly to ensure as much water as possible has left the spinach. If this is not done, it takes a lot longer to cook completely and can be runny instead of silky-eggy smooth. You can also use frozen spinach, if you can’t find fresh. It may seem like a lot of spinach at first in the pot, but it will wilt considerably.

Let the mixture cool completely before adding, sour cream; Parmesan, smoked Gouda, creamy Havarti cheeses; nutmeg, and eggs. Stir completely to ensure that all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

 

Add the egg mixture to the pre-baked shell, and return to the oven. Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out (fairly) clean (the large amounts of cheese may make it impossible for the knife to come out completely clean). Another doneness test is to check the center to see that it is set inside by making a small unnoticeable incision at the top of the quiche and pulling it back slightly to check for doneness.

The freshest ingredients make all the difference here. So although you don’t have a Crucian farmer’s market, the freshness of farm-to-plate food is unmatchable. Push a few cherry tomatoes near it, and enjoy your creation!