The Best Quiche Recipe. Period.

Years ago, my aunt shared with me her favorite recipe for quiche. This morning I adapted it to suit my tastes with different garnishes like  mushrooms and bacon.
Feel free to make this recipe your own, as I did. 

Crust:
2 cups sifted all purpose
2/3 cup cold butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tb. sugar

Filling:
1/2 cup Vidallia onion or shallots, chopped
4 pieces Nueske bacon, cooked and fat reserved **
2 cups mushrooms (use your favorite variety)
8 oz. Gruyere or Comte cheese, grated
8 oz. Jarlsberg cheese, grated
1/2 cup sliced scallions
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
pinch ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
3 whole eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream 

Method:
Prepare the crust by combining all of the ingredients together in a food processor until it just comes together. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap it with plastic wrap and chill for one hour in the fridge. While you're waiting, prepare the filling.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cook the bacon and reserve the fat. Remove the bacon from the pan and chop it, then set it aside. Use the bacon fat to saute the Vidallia onions or shallots until nicely golden brown. Add the mushrooms and saute them until they are also golden brown. Allow to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the cream, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg. Add the mushroom mixture, scallions and most of the cheese (reserve about 1/2 cup for the top of the quiche).

When the crust is ready, roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large disk. Line a 10" springform pan with the crust and press it up the sides and into the crease where the bottom meets the sides. Prick generously with a fork and line with parchment paper. Fill the parchment paper with pie weights or dried, unused beans (the cheaper, but very effective alternative). Bake the crust at 425 for at least 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven, remove the parchment paper and weights. Set them aside. The bottom of the crust should be golden brown. 

Now fill the crust with the quiche filling and bake at 400 for at least 15 minutes or until set around the edges. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.  Finish baking until the quiche is set. Remove from the oven and rest for at least 40 minutes before slicing. When ready to slice, carefully release the sides of the springform pan and use a serrated knife to slice the quiche. Serve with fresh fruit or a garden salad with vinaigrette. 

*Nueske bacon is available in cherrywood smoked and applewood smoked at Joe's Meat & Seafood in Livonia.