commentbacon and leek mini quiches
thanksgiving is just over a week away, and i think i’ve found my contribution to the big meal.
these are one of those appetizers that never make it to the guests outside of the kitchen - people will wrestle each other to the ground for a good mini quiche. the only possible rival to the mini quiche is the pig in a blanket (another specialty of mine). why leeks? besides being an amazing fall crop, when the weather gets chillier, i get cravings for the nostalgic flavors of potato and leek soup. why bacon? honestly, i can’t think of a single dish that can’t be improved with bacon (including potato and leek soup).
quiches were actually invented by the germans - the word “quiche” comes from “kuchen,” german for cake. it has since been adapted by the french and has become a blank slate for any kind of meat or veggie you can think of. originally, german chefs used an actual cake as a base, but in it’s modern form, quiches usually have some kind of puff pastry. i’ve provided a very simple butter/flour/cream cheese crust recipe, but store-bought puff pastry certainly works just as well (they happened to be out of it when i went to the store).
at the rate i’ve been eating these quiches, i’ll need to make a new batch every other day or so. if you’re looking for a quick and easy thanksgiving appetizer, look no farther. you might want to make a secret batch just for yourself so you actually get to have a few.
bacon and leek quiches
makes 12 regular-size or 24 mini-cupcake-size cups
crust
1/2 cup butter
3 oz cream cheese
1 cup flour
quiche filling
3 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 large leeks
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small onion, diced
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
1. make the crust: soften the butter and cream cheese in the microwave. mix in the flour and form into a ball. refrigerate for 1 hour while you make the filling.
2. clean, peel and dice up the leeks. saute in on medium heat with the diced onion with a little splash of olive oil until the leeks soften.
3. whisk the eggs and cream in a large bowl. add the leek mixture, crumbled bacon, cheese and salt and pepper. mix to coat everything in egg.
4. divide the chilled dough into 12 equal pieces (24 if using mini-cupcake tins). butter and flour the cupcake tins and press the dough into them to cover the bottom and sides. pour in the quiche mixture to fill each cup. bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes.
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13 comments so far ↓
Donna | Nov 17, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Lokks so good. I might try this with spinach too.
Y | Nov 18, 2008 at 3:36 am
MMm… I’ve been seeing a lot of bacony foods lately. Makes me hungry! Yummmy looking quiches! I love cream cheese pastry too.
liz | Nov 18, 2008 at 7:22 am
your food inspires me like nothing else!!! thank you.
Dad | Nov 18, 2008 at 7:54 am
I’m waiting to taste these on Thanksgiving, Pete. Let’s see…bacon, cheese and leeks, I guess the leeks justify the other ingredients. Keep cookin’
Christina | Nov 19, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Sounds really good, and the crust couldn’t be any easier. I especially like the leeks.
Nick | Nov 20, 2008 at 4:28 pm
What a fantastic idea. These would be good for a thanksgiving day-after brunch. You could even have people make their own… some customizations!
Nice idea Pete.
Nick
http://www.macheesmo.com
dawn | Nov 21, 2008 at 10:44 am
i love food that can be miniaturized…these are perfect, and easy as pie to make.
Donna | Nov 26, 2008 at 12:07 am
I bought all the things to make these little babies today. I’ve never eaten leeks before, I’m excited to try something new. They just look so delicious I have to give them a try.
mmmbacon | Nov 26, 2008 at 2:14 pm
those look great - thanks for the recipe! if you need more bacon goodness checkout bacontalk at: https://community.bacontalk.com
Bacon Lovers’ Talk » Blog Archive » Good looking appetizer for thanksgiving | Nov 26, 2008 at 2:30 pm
[...] Bacon and leek mini quiches look like a great starter for the holidays - enjoy! Share this [...]
suesse-mahlzeit | Dec 3, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Wow! That is the recipe what I want! very tasty! Thank you
BECCA | Dec 18, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I’D LOV FOR THESE RECIPES TO COME TO MY E-MAIL, I LOV MINI QUICHES!!!!! THANKS, BECCA
BECCA | Dec 18, 2008 at 11:51 pm
SORRY HAD WRONG E-MAIL ADDRESS!!!! BECCCA WOULD LOV THESE RECIPES SENT TO ME!! I FOUND THIS SITE BY ACCIDENT & MAY NEVER FIND IT AGAIN . . . .THANKS, BECCA
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