From: Auberge on the Vineyard

Real French Quiche

Ingredients:
Fully cooked deep dish pie crust2 tablespoons butter
One onion, sliced lengthwise into thin strips
Some chicken broth
Six slices of thick bacon, or lardon, as the French say
8 ounces of gruyere
6 large eggs
2 and 3/4 cup half and half
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
2 tblspoons cornstarch


Step 1: Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the Sliced onion. As the onions start to dry out, add a little broth to the saucepan to keep the onions moist. You may need to do this a few times until the onions have become very soft and are lightly browned. Do not let them dry out or they will burn and become bitter.

Step 2: Cut up the bacon into small bits and cook in saucepan until nicely browned.

Step 3: Grate the gruyere.

Step 4: Blend together the eggs, half and half, spices, reserving an 1/8 cup of the half and half to use to dilute the cornstarch. Once you've mixed in the cornstarch, blend it briefly into the mixture. Do not skip this step as the cornstarch serves to absorb the excess liquid from the onion. The bottom of the quiche will not be soggy as a result. (This is the first trick.)

Step 5: Spread the soft onion mixture evenly throughout the bottom of the pie crust. Layer the bacon and cheese on top, and then pour the mixture until the crust has filled to the top.

Step 6: Place the quiche on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 325 degrees. Cook for 1 and 1/4 hours until the top is lightly browned and the mixture is set. (Lower oven temperature is the second trick, which keeps the quiche lighter in texture so you really don't want to overcook it.)

Step 7: Cool the quiche for a half hour and serve. Or, you can refrigerate and reheat when needed in a 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes.