Spinach & Bacon Quiche

Quiche holds a special honor in our homes.  Nana's side of the family hails from Metz, France.  This is the capital of the Lorraine region, which is famous for you know what.  Needless to say, we love quiche.  Nana was born in the states but many of her older siblings (she is one of six) were born in Metz.  

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia: Metz

Her father, Felix, worked as a fire lookout in the tall north tower of the Cathedrale Saint-Etienne (St. Stephen's Cathedral)  as a young married man.  Her mother (my  own "Nana") used to carry lunch to him up the almost 400 stairs each day.  If that is not true love, I am not sure what is - regardless of how gorgeous the view is.  Our families have visited the Cathedral and it is truly lovely.  Most "French Fridays" make us want to go back to Paris, but this time we were nostalgic for the Alsace region and hope to plan a visit soon.

We probably would have loved this versatile and tasty dish if we had hailed from elsewhere in the world....but having this as part of our heritage warms our heart all the more.  That doesn't mean, however, that the pate brisee always cooperates with us......

Per Nana ~

This week's recipe, spinach and bacon quiche,

was very easy and tasty.

We enjoyed a lovely cup of chicken broth first, and then the quiche.

 Since it is not a heavy meal, I think it would be a wonderful

 summertime meal with a delicious tomato and basil salad.

I made the regular tart crust from Dorie's book and

pre-cooked it as directed. I think that is one of the best

crusts I have used and I look forward to using it

 for my fruit tarts in the coming months.

The rest of the ingredients were simple to assemble,

and cooking time is not too long.

 I will say that when it is cold it is just delightful

cut into small pieces for a snack or even with a glass of wine.

Per Tricia ~

I followed the recipe with two tweaks.

One took the high road and the other, the low.

  The "high road" involved my using this lovely bacon

that I pick up when we go to Vermont. 

They have a great website (www.vtsmokeandcure.com),

 but we are lucky enough to have the products stocked in

 our local grocery store up there.

My second "tweak" took the lower road.....and it involved

 substituting Green Giant chopped frozen spinach for the fresh. 

I had a box in the freezer and it just happened to be

 the requisite 10 ounces. 

 Worked like a charm and I plan to use it again.

Trust me, you'll thank me later ~ and even Nana approved.

Loved this. 

No surprise there.  

The only surprise was why I have not

been making these more frequently. 

And that is about to change :)