Smoked Quiche Lorraine

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust, (1 frozen crust, or check our recipe in Issue 19 of sip).
• 3 tsp Lapang Souchong Tea
• 1/2 lb thin strips of bacon, cut small
• 1/2 diced yellow onion
• 1 cup shredded cheese (sharp cheddar or gruyere)
• 1 3/4 cup half and half
• 4 eggs, large
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, finely ground
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out pie crust into pie dish. Dock the bottom with a fork and line with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights and blind bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and remove weights and parchment.

Combine tea with half and half in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, remove from heat and allow tea to steep 15 minutes. Strain out tea and set half and half aside to cool.

While the pie is blind baking, heat a large pan over medium heat and add in your chopped bacon. Cook until bacon is crisp and fat has rendered. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towel. Add the sliced onions to the bacon fat in the pan and sautee until golden. Remove onions and add to plate with bacon.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs, add steeped half and half, salt, pepper and paprika. Whisk together well in order to incorporate air into the mixture. Stir in cheese, bacon and onion.

Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust. Bake in pre-heated oven for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.