Gouda, Bacon & Onion Quiche w/ Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

There's so many wonderful options when making quiche.  We have some friends who took over the Cheese Lady's Gouda shop here on PEI and they make the most wonderful Gouda cheese (they can now ship to the US as well as within Canada if anyone's interested) - the new name is Glasgow Glen Farms, conveniently located near my house.  It's inevitable that I find uses for this wonderful variety of cheese in my cooking.  Of course, you can replace gouda with any flavorful cheese you like. I find it's uses are similar to a good cheddar.  And, of course, any recipe with bacon has to be delicious, right?! Enjoy!

Gouda, Bacon & Onion Quiche w/ Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

Heat oven to 425F.  Get yourself out a pie pan.

I tend to make a full batch of buttermilk biscuits and use half for the crust and just cook the other half as biscuits.  But, if you just want to make the quiche, mix the crust as follows:

First, make your buttermilk (or just use ¼ cup buttermilk)

In a measuring cup place:

1 ½ tsp lemon juice OR white vinegar

Fill so you have total of:

¼ cup milk

Mix in a bowl:

¼ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup tapioca starch

2 Tbsp cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp cup potato starch

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

¾ tsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

pinch of baking soda

Add and dice in with a pastry cutter:

2 ½ Tbsp butter

Add and mix with a spoon, just until combined:

¼ cup buttermilk (from above)

Press biscuit dough gently into pie pan.  I find the batter tends to be sticky – spread out while pouring in the pie plate as best you can, then put a tiny bit of water on your fingertips to help.  Don't worry about it being perfect - it rises as it bakes.

Sprinkle onto bottom of dish:

1 cup sliced or finely chopped Gouda cheese (The 'Cheese Lady's Gouda' on PEI is fabulous!)

On top of cheese put:

1 small onion, diced and sautéed in 1 Tbsp olive oil until tender (3-4 minutes)

Then add:

1 cup chopped pork loin bacon (cooked), or bacon of your choice (cooked)

Mix together in a separate bowl:

4-6 eggs (4 cooks faster, but you’ll have a smaller quiche, I prefer 6 myself)

1/3 - ½ cup milk (lactose free works great)

Salt

Pepper (be generous)

Pour egg mixture carefully and evenly over the top of the bacon/cheese/onions.   Pop in the oven!

Bake 10 min at 425F. Lower heat to 350F and cook 20-25 minutes more, until centre is set (doesn’t jiggle when you gently shake the pan).

Remove from oven. Let cool 10-15 minutes before cutting.  Great warm or cold!   Enjoy!

Bacon, Cheddar & Veggie Quiche - with gluten-free buttermilk pastry crust

The one meal that seems to get inhaled around here is quiche.  I think the most amazing thing is watching my 3 year old inhale a slice that's packed to the brim with veggies of all color without a word of complaint. It's quite miraculous.  I often make quiche using a buttermilk biscuit crust, such as in my broccoli-bacon quiche, but using my buttermilk pie pastry crust works perfectly as well for a quiche crust.  My version here, a modification of the classic bacon-cheddar quiche, is a great filling meal for the whole family. I've made this quiche with baby spinach and also with a baby spinach/baby kale mix - both were great!  Enjoy!

A fresh, colorful slice of quiche, ready to eat!

Bacon, Cheddar & Veggie Quiche

To cook bacon: 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Place 5-6 strips bacon on a wire rack over a pan. (you can bake your entire package now, but you'll only need part of it for this recipe) Bake 15-20 minutes, until crispy.  Remove from oven and chop bacon into bite sized pieces.

Crispy cooked bacon - I tend to just cook the whole package.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Roll out ½ batch of my gluten-free piecrust between pieces of plastic wrap until you have a circle approximately 12”-14” in diameter.  Remove the top layer of plastic wrap.  Press into a pie pan.  You can neaten/shape the edges of the crust however you like. It helps if you use the plastic wrap to do this, so it doesn't stick to your fingers if they get a little warm.  Set aside until you're ready to fill. 

In a frying pan, heat: 
2 Tbsp olive oil

Cook until softened: 
1/3 cup red & green bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced

Add and cook until wilted: 1-2 handfuls baby spinach (or baby kale), diced
Remove from heat.

In pie crust, fill with: 
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Precooked veggies
chopped bacon

Freshly grated sharp cheddar, topped with veggies

Then add the bacon.

Mix together, and pour over top the fillings: 

4-6 eggs

1/3 - 1/2 cup milk

salt and pepper

I tend to wait and do the final shaping of the crust edges just before baking - you can do it earlier, I just find pressing it towards the filling gives a nice scalloped look.

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes.  

Lower heat to 350F and continue cooking 20 minutes, or until set in center.  

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.  You can serve this quiche warm or chilled. 

Enjoy! 

Using a pie pastry crust turns out a lovely final product.

This easy recipe is one of our favorite chowders to whip together on a cold night.  The best part is, it doesn't have any cream so it's not too heavy.  We love eating this with garlic bread or rolls - pretty much any of the recipes I've posted will do.  It's great as leftovers, too! Enjoy!

Ready to pop in a bowl to eat! Yum!

Corn & Bacon Chowder

Serves 4-6

In a large saucepan over medium heat melt:
1/4 cup butter

Add and cook, stirring regularly, until onion has softened:
1 onion, chopped
1 package bacon (8 oz.), trim off the fattiest bits and chop coarsely (I prefer the nitrate-free kind)
2 tsp minced garlic

* You have two options for thickening the soup - you can add GF flour mix to thicken the soup now or add cornstarch to thicken at the end.
Option 1 for thickening soup: 
Once onion has softened, add and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute:
1/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

Add and bring to boil over medium-high to high heat:
2 cups GF chicken stock OR 2 cups water + 3 tsp Asian mushroom seasoning
3 1/2 - 4 cups milk (lactose-free works great)
2-3 medium potatoes, chopped (peel potatoes if the skin is thick, wash and leave on if the skin is thin)
3/4 tsp. dried chives (OR you can add 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh chives just before serving)

Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, ~15 minutes, until potato is soft.

Add and bring back to boil/simmer:
2 cups frozen corn kernels OR 2 cups fresh corn kernels

If you did NOT add GF flour mix earlier, do the following now to thicken the soup.
Option 2 for thickening soup: 
While soup is reheating, mix in a small bowl:
2 - 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold milk

Pour the cornstarch and milk mixture into your boiling/simmering soup, and stir 1 minute to thicken.
If you used fresh corn kernels, let simmer an additional 2 minutes. 

Add fresh chives now if you did not use dried chives.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Great served with toasted buttered GF bread or rolls.  Enjoy!

Corn & Bacon Chowder Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Delicious Broccoli & Bacon Quiche w/ Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

Quiche is one of those fabulous dishes that can be both breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You can eat it hot or cold.  You can vary up the fillings and create a completely new dish each time.  It's great!   Lately, I've tried to vary the greens in our diet.  We tend to overlook broccoli a lot of the time since it often can be overpowering unless raw.  However, I think you'll find that it isn't the case in this lovely dish! Enjoy!

Broccoli & Bacon Quiche w/ Buttermilk Biscuit Crust

 

Heat oven to 425F.  Get yourself out a pie pan.

 

I tend to make a full batch of buttermilk biscuits and use half for the crust and just cook the other half as biscuits.  But, if you just want to make the quiche, mix the crust as follows:

 

First, make your buttermilk (or just use ¼ cup buttermilk)

In a measuring cup place:

1 ½ tsp lemon juice OR white vinegar

Fill so you have total of:

¼ cup milk

 

Mix in a bowl:

¼ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup tapioca starch

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp potato starch

1/8 tsp xanthan gum

¾ tsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

pinch of baking soda

 

Add and dice in with a pastry cutter:

2 ½ Tbsp butter

 

Add and mix with a spoon, just until combined:

¼ cup buttermilk (from above)

 

Press biscuit dough gently into pie pan.  If the batter is sticky, put a tiny bit of water on your fingertips to help.

Don't worry about it being perfect or even. It puffs up while baking!

 

Sprinkle onto bottom of dish:

½ - ¾ cup shredded cheese mix

 

On top of cheese put:

½ - 1 cup fresh broccoli heads (not stems)

 

On top of broccoli put:

3-4 slices cooked bacon, chopped

 

Mix together in a separate bowl:

4-6 eggs (4 cooks faster, but you’ll have a smaller quiche, I prefer 6 myself)

1/3 - ½ cup milk (lactose free works great)

Salt

Pepper (be generous)

 

Pour egg mixture carefully and evenly over the top of the bacon.   Pop in the oven!

 

Bake 10 min at 425F. Lower heat to 350F and cook 20-25 minutes more, until centre is set (doesn’t jiggle when you gently shake the pan).

Remove from oven. Let cool 10-15 minutes before cutting.  Great warm or cold!   Enjoy!