I had and open package of chicken bacon in the fridge that needed to be used up as well as a couple of leeks from our last produce basket, so this quiche made for an ideal breakfast option. I went with sourdough pastry again so that I could use a bit more starter as well.

The quiche was delicious. But I still think I'd make a few tweaks next time. And, surprisingly, one of those tweaks would be to add less cheese. Usually, if I'm making adjustments to the amount of cheese called for in the recipe, it's an increase to the amount, not a decrease! But I actually feel like this one went a bit too heavy on the cheese. I mean, it tasted great, but it had so much gruyère that it became almost more like a cheese pie than a quiche. And all that cheese made it a little greasy as well. So I do think I'd try cutting the cheese slightly next time.

I might also increase the egg a touch. The original recipe called for a 23cm (9") loose-bottom tart tin, but I prefer to use my 23cm deep-dish pie plate for quiche. Which, to be fair, worked fine. But I did find that, with only two eggs, the pie shell was left slightly under-filled. So I think I'd try adding an extra egg next time.

And, depending on how I was feeling, I might try making the custard with whole milk rather than half-and-half. Just to lighten it up a bit. Don't get me wrong! The half-and-half was delicious. But it did make for a very rich final result. I'd be interested to see how it turned out with milk instead.

Bacon, Leek, and Gruyère Quiche

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe sourdough pastry (or pastry of your choice)
• 4-6 slices bacon
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced (light parts only)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 c. half-and-half (10%) or milk
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 100g gruyère cheese, grated

Directions

1. Roll out pastry and use it to line a 23cm (9") deep-dish pie plate. Freeze for 30 minutes.
2. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 190°C (375°F).
3. Line pie shell with baking paper and fill with pie weights. Place on hot baking sheet and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15 minutes.
4. Remove pie weights and bake for another 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp and chop.
6. Drain fat from pan, return pan to heat, and melt butter over medium-low heat.
7. Add leeks and cook until softened (~10 minutes).
8. Beat eggs with half-and-half (or milk), salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
9. Once pie shell is baked, add the leeks and bacon in an even layer in the bottom.
10. Top with cheese.
11. Give the custard a final mix and pour it into the pie shell.
12. Return quiche to oven on top of hot baking sheet and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes.