Bacon & Mushroom Quiche + Radicchio Salad

One of my favorite things is getting up in the morning and sharing a cup of coffee with my mom at the kitchen table. It’s one of the things I miss the most living in Portland away from home. There’s something so cozy about waking up to the smell of fresh coffee brewing, the crackle of bacon sizzling on the stove, and sitting down with your momma and talking about anything and everything. My mom has always been a morning person. She would rip open the curtains when we were kids and start singing “rise and shine” to get us up for school. It was torture lol. I look back now nostalgically on those early morning wake up calls and know that I will do the same thing to my children 🙂 

I wish more than anything I could hop on a plane and head to Florida to celebrate my mom for Mother’s Day. If I could, I would get up Sunday morning and brew her favorite coffee and make her this bacon & mushroom quiche for brunch with radicchio salad on the side. Quiche is a dish that’s quick and easy to make, that way you can pop it in the oven and enjoy your morning.

Since Thomas has me on a Jarlsberg kick right now, I added a generous amount of Jarlsberg cheese along with crispy bacon, lots of sautéed shallots and mushrooms, and fresh thyme leaves. Radicchio salad is also my new obsession. After I had the radicchio salad at Tasty & Alder during our staycation, I’ve been making our own version at home. It’s the perfect amount of crispness and crunchiness to go alongside the quiche. 

I hope all of the momma’s out there have an amazing Mother’s Day! 

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Bacon & Mushroom Quiche 

Ingredients
– 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-8 oz of thick cut bacon cut into bite size pieces
–  8 oz of sliced mushrooms
– 2 shallots, thinly sliced
– Fresh thyme
– 8 large eggs, at room temperature
– 1/2 cup (120 ml) half & half
– 2 teaspoons of salt
– pinch of ground nutmeg
– 1/2 cup (120 ml) Gruyère, finely grated
– prepared pie crust ( or make this homemade recipe by All Recipes) 

What to do
Cook bacon in a saucepan over medium-high heat until bacon pieces are crispy. Remove bacon and reserve bacon fat. In the same saucepan, cook mushrooms, shallots, and thyme sprigs in the bacon fat until mushrooms are golden brown. Pluck out thyme, and transfer mushroom mixture to a medium bowl; set aside.

Place rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Purée eggs in a blender on medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Add half-and-half, salt, and nutmeg. Beat on medium-low until custard is smooth, about 15 seconds. Mix in mushroom mixture, cooked bacon bits, and a little more thyme removed from the stem. Once incorporated, fold in gruyère cheese. 

Place crust In a 9-inch glass pie plate, and pour egg custard on top. Beat one egg and brush the edges of the crust with egg wash. Bake quiche until edges are set but center slightly wobbles, 45-60 minutes (it will continue to set after baking). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool a little before slicing. 
Note: depending if you do a homemade crust or by a pre-packaged crust, baking instructions may vary. 

Do Ahead: Quiche can be baked 1 day ahead. Tightly wrap and chill. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Radicchio Salad 

Ingredients
– 2 medium heads of radicchio
– Manchego or parmesan cheese, finely grated (use as much as you fancy! We use a lot!) 
– 1 lemon
– 1 medium garlic clove
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
– 1 tablespoon of honey
– 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
– 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil 

What to do
1) Remove any wilted outer leaves from the radicchio. Quarter the heads, and remove the stem. Halve each quarter lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2 to 3 chunks so pieces are bite-sized. Transfer radicchio to the basket of a salad spinner or wash will cold water and dry well and set aside. 
2) Half lemon in half and juice all of the lemon into a bowl, add minced garlic clove, salt, black pepper and honey. Whisk mayonnaise into the mixture until smooth. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust with salt, honey, pepper, or lemon juice as desired. 
3) Toss radicchio with  dressing and add in manchego or parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt or pepper if needed. Fresh baked breadcrumbs would be amazing in this as well!