Sun Dried Tomato Arugula Pesto and Bacon Quiche
Hey Guys! It’s Wednesday again! And, if you are noticing a trend here regarding eggs-you are right. But, I promise it’s just a funny coincidence. The recipe below addmititedly has a lot of steps. But, I promise you there’ll easy enough to follow. This recipe is a crowdpleaser and exactly the kind of labor of love you want to share with the people in your life…or just keep to “treat yo’self”. Enjoy!
Sun Dried Tomato Arugula Pesto and Bacon Quiche
Ingredients
Tart crust
2 c all purpose flour (GF Variation-1 1/2 c Pamela’s Artisan flour + 1/2 c Cup4Cup flour)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 (3/4 c) unsalted butter
2 tbsp cold water (ice cold)
Egg mixture
3 eggs
1 c whole milk
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Topping
6-8 strips of bacon
1/4 c goat cheese
3/4 c sun dried tomatoes
Pesto
3/4 c arugula
1/4 c basil
1/4 c pine nuts
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1/2 olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor, combine the flour(s) and salt. Then pulse to mix throughout. Next, add cubes of butter in the processor. Pulse, until it comes to a sand like texture. Shake down sides. After, add in the 2 tablespoons of cold water and pulse until comes together in dough ball.
On a well flour surface, work the dough into a rectangular-round. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 10-15mins. Remove and roll out to about 12″x12″ or is 1/4″ thick. Use a knife to cut around 1″ past the perimeter of the tart pan. Using your rolling pin, roll up the measured dough and then carefully place it atop of the pan-lightly pressing down edges and corners. Next, use a piece of aluminum foil to line the inside of the tart shell and add a baking weight of your choosing-we like rice or beans. Bake for 15mins until the edges begin to become golden. Place on a wire rack to cool. Remove the foil and contents after 5mins of cooling. Reduce the oven temp to 375.
On a cutting board, julienne your Sun Dried tomatoes (if not bought pre-cut) and slice your bacon. Then, in a frying pan over medium heat, place in the bacon. Continue to cook the bacon for 5-8mins, allow the fat the render out of the bacon. After removing from heat, add in the Sun Dried tomatoes to the bacon in the pan and cover for 1min. After, remove the bacon/tomato mixture onto a plate with paper towel atop to remove excess grease.
In a blender, combine the arugula, basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. Begin blending on a low-med speed. Then, slowly pour in the olive oil. Blend for an additional 30sec-1min until the pesto is fully emulsified. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste and blend for just 5 seconds.
In a medium bowl whisk your eggs. Then, add 1/2 c of milk at a time. Next, add in the salt, pepper and nutmeg-whisk thoroughly.
Once complete, add the Sun Dried tomatoes and bacon the tart-making sure to evenly spread the mixture amongst the bottom of the shell. Next, pour the egg mixture atop. Then, using a spoon gently pour the pesto atop the entire quiche. Lastly, carefully drop in small pieces of the goat cheese throughout the quiche. Bake for 30-32min, until the edges are golden-brown. Remove and place on the wire rack again. Allow the tart to cool for 5-10mins. Then, pop the base the tart pan, and cut into desire size and serving shape. Enjoy!