Ingredients

1 frozen pie shell, thawed

3 large eggs

2 cups cream (heavy or light)

½ cup of chopped chives

1½ cups of grated Gruyere and/or Swiss cheese, divided

6 strips of thickly sliced bacon, cooked and chopped, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Pre-bake the shell. To keep it from puffing up, prick the bottom and sides of the shell with a knife, then line it with a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and fill with ceramic pie weights. (If you don’t have pie weights, dried beans will also work.) Bake the shell for 8 to 10 minutes, remove it from the oven and take out the weights and foil.

While the pie shell is baking, beat the eggs and cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, then, by hand, fold in the chives and most of the grated cheese and bacon. Sprinkle the remaining bacon on the bottom of the prepared pie shell, and then pour in the egg mixture. To finish it off, sprinkle the top of the quiche with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 35 minutes—it should be golden brown when done. Serve hot or at room temperature.

The beauty of this dish, besides its deliciousness, is that it can be served anytime: for breakfast or brunch with fresh fruit, for lunch or dinner with simple spring greens and a lemony mustard vinaigrette.