SMOKED CHEESE & BACON QUICHE

Smoked cheese & bacon quiche was prepared with our cold smoked cheese. This golden brown beauty looks appetizing.

We’re putting a new flavorful twist to traditional quiche by adding a cold smoked cheese combination that’s perfect with this egg and cream based recipe. Be sure to see our previous series on cold smoking cheese on the stove top, then bring your favorite cheeses to this easy, basic recipe. We’re making smoked cheese & bacon quiche!

Smoked Cheese & Bacon Quiche- Simple Ingredients Are Best

Quiche is one of those recipes that doesn’t have a lot of rules. The base is eggs, cream and pie shell or pastry. The fillings are yours to experiment with. For our Smoked Cheese and Bacon Quiche, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• 9-inch pie crust
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Fresh ground pepper
• Kosher salt
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• ¾ lb. of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 6 eggs
• 2oz. shredded smoked swiss
• 2oz. shredded smoked muenster
• 1oz. fresh smoked mozzarella, diced

Sweating the Onions

We start off our recipe by first cooking the onion. Taking 1 yellow onion, peel the skin and dice this. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a hot skillet. When melted, add the diced onion. Let this sweat for about 3 minutes until translucent, then stir. Cook until the onion browns and crisps slightly. This should take less than 6 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside while you begin to prepare the wet ingredients.

Basic Quiche Batter

After cooking the onion, it’s time to assemble the other ingredients to our quiche. Start with 6 large eggs in a large bowl. Add the ¾ cup of heavy cream and whisk until combined. Add the cooked onion, followed by the bacon that has been precooked and chopped. If you’re short on time, feel free to use precooked bacon strips commonly available in most grocery stores. Whisk all these ingredients together until well combined.

The final ingredients are your favorite smoked cheeses. In my version, I’m using Swiss, muenster, and fresh mozzarella, which have been previously cold smoked for about 4 hours. My technique was a stove top smoking application using a cast iron pan. You can visit our previous series on this technique. Once all the ingredients are combined, it’s time to pour the batter into the prepared pie shell. This recipe will make one 9-inch quiche. Now place in to a preheated 350°F oven for 40-45 minutes.

Smoked Cheese & Bacon Quiche- Golden, Creamy, Smoked Goodness

After cooking in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, a golden crust will form on the top. Allow the smoked cheese & bacon quiche to cool slightly before cutting it into serving slices. Loaded with the saltiness of the bacon, the creaminess of the smoked cheese, and the sweetness of the cooked onion, this is a great dish for brunch or dinner, or even served as an hors d’oeuvre. If you want to add more smoke flavor, feel free to ember cook the onions or smoke the bacon. Smoked Cheese & Bacon Quiche – soon to become your favorite quiche recipe!

Did we inspire you to make your own quiche? We need your comment and rating, so subscribe and follow us so you don’t miss a thing. Suggestions are always welcome as well on recipes and techniques you want to learn about. We are your source for all things wood-fired, providing tips, techniques, recipes, and the science behind the fire.

 

THE EASY METHOD TO COLD SMOKED CHEESE

Cold Smoked Cheese is a very simple technique with very rewarding results. Follow our instruction and enjoy some all natural smoked cheese.

The cooler season is here and that’s the perfect time to think about cold smoking techniques that bring special flavoring to heat sensitive items.  First up for us, cheese!  We’re lighting up the Technique Cast Iron Stove Top Smoking Pan and loading it up with our favorite varieties of cheese in preparation for a couple of recipes.  If you don’t own a stove top smoker pan, see our blog titled “The Kitchen Find” which will guide you on using items likely found in your own kitchen.

90°F or Less

Cold smoking requires that you keep the temperature below 90°F.  That may sound like a challenge but when you use a stove top smoker – equip it with an ice cube pan – you’re on your way to all things cold smoked.  The best chips to use for this method of smoking are SmokinLicious® Minuto® Wood Chips.  I’m electing to use Wild Cherry for the balance of flavors between my cheese choices.  These chips will combust evenly and slowly, releasing a steady smoke vapor that will work well with the cheese.

First, the stove top smoking pan needs to be set up.  The Technique pan comes with everything needed, including a drip pan.  We won’t be using the drip pan for its intended purpose but rather, to become an ice pan.  An ice pan will help to keep the temperature of the smoking pan below 85° F; and that means you can smoke all types of foods that normally couldn’t be exposed to heat! (chocolate, cheese, fragile fruits, candies, etc).

Be sure you have a handful of wood chips in the base pan before adding the drip pan full of ice cubes.   Place the wood chips in the center of the pan then fill the drip pan completely with ice.  Then add the grill pan and get the cheese out of the refrigerator.  Remember, you will be smoking the cheese for a few hours so you’ll need to refill the drip pan with ice cubes every hour.   There is no need to replenish the wood chips as a single handful will be plenty.

The Ice Tray

With the heat set to the lowest setting possible on your stove top, the drip pan filled with ice cubes to reduce the temperature even more, the cheese selections which include Swiss, horseradish cheddar, muenster, and fresh mozzarella, are added to the grill pan.  Place the cover on and this should be left untouched for at least an hour.  Once the hour passes, it will be time to replace the ice cubes in the drip pan.  Be sure to leave the cover on the grill pan when changing out the ice tray.  This should be done every hour up to the final hour you want to smoke.  I am doing a four-hour process on my cheese today so I will replace the ice pan three times.  That’s it!

Once infused, remove the cheese, wrap in wax or parchment paper and refrigerator for at least 2 days to allow the smoke vapor to release throughout the cold smoked cheese process.  Then get ready to enjoy your smoked cheese as is, or include in recipes.  We have 2 recipes coming up: A smoked cheese and bacon quiche and smoked grilled cheese with tomato and pepper jelly.

I hope I’ve inspired you to try cold smoked cheese on the stove top.  We need your comment and rating, so subscribe and follow us so you don’t miss a thing.  As always we welcome your suggestions as well on recipes and techniques you want to learn about.  We are your source for all things wood-fired, providing tips, techniques, recipes, and the science behind the fire.