Country Ham & Onion Quiche

Make sure you have a semi-high-sided cookie sheet for this, otherwise you'll have a bit of a mess when you go pouring the egg mixture on the crust. You should be fine in most cases. My cookie sheet is a typical one, in my opinion, but I am definitely glad I read ahead and didn't use my edgeless cookie sheet for the crust.  

Crust

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch cayenne pepper

Filling

• olive oil
• 1 cup diced sweet onion, preferably Vidalia
• 1 cup diced country ham (or cooked bacon or pancetta) 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 8 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• ground white pepper, to taste

Place the flour, Parmesan, butter, salt, and cayenne in the bowl of a food processor with the blade attachment. Pulse until the mixture just starts to resemble coarse cornmeal; there should still be some visible pieces of butter. Transfer the mixture to a 13x18 inch sheet pan and gently pat it evenly into the bottom (but not up the sides). 

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Bake until the crust is pale golden brown in color, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool while making the filling. 

Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook until translucent and tender, about 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle the onions, ham, and Gruyere evenly over the baked crust. 

Place the cream, milk, eggs, salt, and white pepper in a blender and blend until frothy. Skim off and discard any foam from the top. Pour the custard evenly over the onion-ham-cheese mixture. Bake the quiche until the custard is set, 33-38 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a minimum of 15 minutes, or wait to serve at room temperature. Cut into 12 large rectangles or small squares; serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with a sprig of Italian parsley for color, if desired. 

Serves 12

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, including refrigerating and chilling

Recipe from TheKitchn.com