There's an old saying that says, "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche." A saying that I grew up totally confused about. Why wouldn't a man love a quiche? I mean, men love eggs, right? And since you can put basically any ingredient in a quiche, what's not to love? Eggs, bacon, and cheese? In pie form with a crust? Sounds like heaven on Earth to any man or woman.
To this day, I hate that saying. So, I didn't even tell Chris about it when I made the quiche. After all, my dad eats quiche and I've never met a man who turned down a delicious slice. OK, I guess I can see why men might not go out to lunch and order a slice of the quiche-of-the-day over a pastrami sandwich, but I still say real men eat quiche. And if I ever met a man who refused a piece of quiche due to that saying, I'd feel horribly bad for him.
Quiche will most likely always hold a special place in my heart. When I was in college, every time I went home to visit my parents, my mom sent me back to school with at least 3 delicious quiches. I'd pop 2 in the freezer and keep one in the fridge, eating it all week long. It was the perfect meal for me since they generally included lots of protein and veggies and were easy to heat up and eat. My mom still makes me quiches on occasion, but I also like experimenting with my own these days.
I've been saying I want to bake with pears more for about 2 years now and for some reason I just never do. So, when I saw Closet Cooking's quiche recipe involving caramelized pears, I decided it would be perfect. Especially considering it also included pancetta and gorgonzola cheese. I made some changes, like doubling the amount of pancetta involved. Also, if you have the time, I highly suggest you also make the walnut butter pie crust as it definitely made this quiche even better. Trust me on this.
Caramelized Pear, Pancetta, and Gorgonzola Quiche:
• ½ C pancetta, diced
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 1 T butter
• 1 T brown sugar
• 2 pears, cored and sliced into bite sized pieces
• 4 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 C half and half
• 1 t thyme
• ¾ C gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1 walnut butter pie crust, pre-baked (see recipe below)
Walnut Butter Pie Crust:
• 1 C all-purpose flour
• ¼ C ground walnuts, toasted
• ½ t salt
• ½ t sugar
• 8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 4-5 T cold water
First, I got started on the crust. Now, you can definitely use a store-bought crust to make this recipe totally quick and easy, but this walnut one is exceptional! And I found it quite easy to make. I have to admit I used to have a fear of pie crust, but after making Martha Stewart's pate brisee a few times, my pie crust-making confidence is so much higher. The more you do it, the easier it gets. So, don't be discouraged if you have a tough time your first time. The second time will be better. And trust me, I'm still not nearly as good as I want to be. There will be lots more pie and quiche making in my future!
Make sure your walnuts are toasted before you grind them up.
I decided to grind them in my little Cuisinart Mini-Mate Grinder/Chopper.
This thing works like a charm!
Put the flour, ground walnuts, salt, and sugar in a food processor to mix together.
Chop your cold butter into ½ inch cubes.
Add the butter to the flour mixture and pulse until it resembles a course meal, about 8 times.
Now, add a tablespoon of water at a time, pulsing after each addition. See how the dough feels after 4 tablespoons and add a 5th if you need it to clump together more. I added all 5 tablespoons.
Put the dough on clean surface and shape it into a disc.
Then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about an hour.
Now you're ready to lightly flour a surface and roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle (about â…› inch thick).
Put the dough in a 9-inch diameter spring form pan, making the dough go up the edges of the pan.
I only had a 9.5-inch spring form pan, so my dough didn't go all the way up and was kind of messy-looking. I told you, I'm not even close to perfecting the whole pie crust thing!
Put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the dough and fill with something that will hold it down (and can go in the oven). I used marbles, but really need to get some ceramic pie weights. You can also use rice or beans that you already have in your pantry.
Bake the pie crust at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Then, remove the parchment paper and weights, use a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of the crust, and bake another 10 minutes, until light golden brown.
Now, get going on your quiche filling!
Chop up your pancetta, shallots, and thyme.
Cook the pancetta and shallot in a pan. At first, I wanted to add some olive oil, but then I realized once the pancetta started cooking, it released tons of its own oils.
Plus, then you'll be adding the butter to the pancetta and shallots and letting it melt.
Then add the sugar and let it cook until bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Chop up your pears into bite-sized pieces.
And add them to the pancetta/shallot and saute them until they're tender, about 3-5 minutes.
Lightly beat your eggs in a bowl.
Then add the pear mixture, half and half, thyme, and gorgonzola to the eggs and mix together.
Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie crust.
Bake the quiche at 375 degrees for about 25-45 minutes. Keep peeking to see if it's set in the center and golden brown on top. Mine took about 37 minutes.
I added a little extra gorgonzola on top.
And cut a couple of nice, hearty slices. And oooh! I don't care if you're male or female, you will love this quiche. The sweetness of the caramelized pears with the sharpness of the gorgonzola worked perfectly. And, of course, the pancetta added some extra flavor and saltiness that I loved. But if you're vegetarian, it's certainly not necessary.
The walnut butter crust will most likely be my new go-to crust for quiches. It had a whole new depth from the traditional pie crust and as a bit lighter and more crumbly (a good thing in my mind).
I served the quiche with a simple spinach salad. And I'll admit, Chris and I couldn't stop ourselves from eating two pieces each. And leftovers the next night. But this quiche would be equally as pleasant as a brunch. Or a lunch. Or a midnight snack.
Men with fears of quiche? Turn this one down and I'll be shocked.
And now that I've started cooking with pears, I can't seem to stop. I made an pear, apple, cranberry crisp to take to dinner at my sister's on Saturday night and it was also delicious. I want to add pears to everything and just love that they can go with both the sweet and the savory.
But I'm also already plotting my next great quiche experiment.
What's your favorite recipe including pears?
[Sues]
Leah says
OMG I am drooling!
Mary (how to noe be...) says
Somehow I don't think I have ever had a pear! I've always been scared off because they're not as pretty or crisp looking as apples or other fruit... but you are making me want to change that asap!
Beauty & the Feast says
Let people say what they will, anyone with active tastebuds likes quiche. Even though my mom doesn't have send back to school with them, I sure do LOVE me some quiche. And this one of the most enticing of seen in quite a while...caramelized pears, gorgonzola, walnut crust, my goodness yes please!
Megan says
I'm so not sure how I feel about pears in quiche... but it sounds like you loved it, and I know I love the pear/gorgonzola combo so I may have to try it.
Fun and Fearless in Beantown says
I love the flavor combo of pears, gorgonzola and pancetta. For me, I am a huge fan of pears in salads!
Erica says
Wow- this look ridiculous good. I honestly haven't ever made a quiche, but I do enjoy it. I actually love pears too. When I hosted BSI back in the day- I choose pears as the secret ingredient. http://www.itzyskitchen.com/2008/11/bsi-winner-and-recipes.html
Daisy says
I never think to cook with pears but I do love ordering a salad topped with them. they are such a versatile fruit.
Victoria says
Wowza, I too am a quiche fanatic, but have never had one quite like this! Not only is this a great idea for a crust (I usually use my simple tried-but-true pie crust) but the sweet, salty, tangy fillings are great. I'm a huge fan of fruit with blue cheese, and then adding pancetta just takes it over the edge! I'd love to try this!
Alicia says
MMMM...Susie, that quiche looks delicious!! I love the pear/blue cheese combo!
Amanda @ The Nutritionist Reviews says
That looks so amazing..you girls are so creative!
sweeter salt says
I always found that saying stupid too. My Dad loves quiche, and would often pick on up at the market when he was responsible for dinner. My fiancee loves them too. It's eggs, carbs and meat people! Dude food!
This sounds delightful. I love pear with blue cheese - yum!
Laura
Shannon says
walnut butter crust? wow. i tried this last year, but mine didn't turn out quite right, don't know if it was the juices from the pears or what but it seemed a bit soggy... might need to try this again 🙂
Sharlene says
I've been eying the same quiche. Looks so delicious!
Simply Life says
oh what a genius idea of flavors!
lynn @ the actor's diet says
the only people i know who make quiche really well (and on a regular basis) are 2 dudes!!!
Sandra says
This looks too tasty!:)) I love tutorial photos..
Amanda L. (Tales From A Kitchen Misfit) says
This looks fantastic. I've yet to tackle a quiche but I think this one might be the one I need to try!
Joanne says
I've never heard this real men don't eat quiche business. I"m keeping it from all the men I know. I'm also going to keep this quiche from them. I think I need to eat a whole pie of it myself.
Lauren at KeepItSweet says
I LOVE the addition of caramelized pear! This looks delicious!!
5 Star Foodie says
This quiche sounds amazing, the combination of pear and gorgonzola is one of my favorites!
Alexis @ There She Goes says
Pears and gorgonzola are one of the best combos ever on a salad
Beth @ DiningAndDishing says
I absolutely love quiche! So delicate and delicious :). This is a combination I've never tried but it sounds DIVINE! I love the sweet/savory combination of pears and gorgonzola.
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
I love that you used a springform pan because I don't have a fancy quiche pan and this entire time, that's been holding me back. Delicious quiches, here I come! 🙂
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite says
My husband loves quiche! I wonder how this would fare without the pancetta since he doesn't eat pork. I will have to experiment! I wonder if I could just substitute with a vegetable, like asparagus, for some texture. Thanks for sharing this!
Travel Eat Love says
This looks heavenly!
emily says
I totally agree...real mean should eat quiche because it's made with eggs, and they should (in theory) love that fact!
I love the pear/gorgonzola combo! I've never heard of using pie weights before. I feel kind of dumb, but what is that supposed to do?
Jacki says
thank god i have accidental insurance... i just drooled all over my keyboard
Susan says
We've been eating a lot of pears here recently - in salad. I can really imagine how good it would taste in quiche. Great recipe!