Cast Iron Quiche Recipe with a Sourdough Crust

Sourdough & Classic Pie Pastry:1. Before you begin this recipe, place 1/3 cup of lard in the freezer for at least 10 minutes to chill. 2. Next, put dry ingredients in the food processor. 3. Cut the stick of frozen butter into cubes. Place cubed butter and lard in the food processor. 4. Mix on dough or low setting until the mixture looks crumbly, about 30 seconds. If you are making the classic pie dough, add ice water (1 T at a time!) to the food processor and mix for 30 seconds increments. Keep adding 1 T of water and mixing until the dough is formed. If you are doing the sourdough method, add discard to the food processor and mix until it forms into a dough. If it does not come together after mixing for at least 30 seconds, then you will need to add ice-cold water (1 T at a time!). Keep adding 1 T of water and mixing until the dough is formed. 5. Once the pie dough is formed, remove the dough from the food processor and roll it into a ball. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. Preparing the meat:1. First, remove 15 slices of bacon from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature. 2. Place 4-5 slices of bacon in the cold cast iron pan. This ensures even cooking and for all the fat to render. 3. Fry for 2 minutes on one side, flip to the other side, and continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes. 4. Continue to flip every minute for even cooking. 5. Remove bacon once cooked to your liking and place it on a rimmed baking sheet with a paper towel. 6. Repeat the steps for the remaining batches of bacon. 7. Once you've cooked all the bacon slices, pour the bacon fat into a glass measuring cup to use for sautéing your veggies. You won't want to miss the wonderful flavor it gives! Preparing the veggies:1. Next, pour a small amount of the bacon fat you saved to cover the bottom of the cast iron skillet. Saute 1/2 an onion until translucent (about 5 minutes). Remove onions from the cast iron pan and place them in a small bowl. 2. Saute any additional crunchy vegetables (bell peppers, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, etc) until they are slightly soft, about 3 cups of cooked veggies. Pour additional bacon fat into the cast iron as needed. 3. Once all meats and vegetables have been prepped and removed from the cast iron, turn off the stove and allow the cast iron skillet to cool slightly. 4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Preparing the pastry:1. Remove pastry dough from the fridge. Flour your work surface and rolling pin slightly so the pie dough won't stick. Roll the pie dough until about 1/8 of an inch thick. 2. Carefully roll dough over the rolling pin and transfer into a cast iron skillet. Press the dough to the sides of the pan and cut the edges of the dough with a sharp knife. Poke the dough with a fork a few times to help with even baking. Preparing the egg mixture:1. In a large mixing bowl, beat 6 eggs, 3 cups of heavy cream, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper together. Set to the side. Assembling the cast iron quiche:1. Spread the sautéd onions, crumbled bacon, and vegetables you prepped evenly on the bottom of the pie crust. 2. Sprinkle 2 cups of the cheese on top. 3. Pour the egg mixture over the meat, cheese, and veggies. 4. Sprinkle the remaining 2 cups of cheese on top. 5. Carefully place the cast iron quiche on the middle oven rack. 6. Bake the quiche for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and cook for another 75 minutes. Check to see if the quiche is cooked by placing a knife in the center of the quiche. If the knife comes out dirty, cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. If the knife comes out clean, it's ready to eat! 7. I will also put a piece of tin foil over the quiche after an hour of baking, so the cheese doesn't get too brown. 8. Allow 10 minutes to cool before slicing it up to serve.