Ok, I meant to post all these great holiday recipes but the holiday went by so fast and, as usual, I only got a few of the things done that I imagined I would. But here is a great recipe I made this month that I have been meaning to post- my friend Heather brought this to our Christmas party last year and it was so delicious that I made her e-mail me the recipe. Now the actual name of the recipe is "Vidalia Onion Pie", but I renamed it because there is a story in the Parnell family about this terrible onion pie they had to eat as kids that they apparently have never forgotten. (I think they would have liked this one, however.)
Personally, I think onions are a little misunderstood. People sometimes think of onions as they are when they're raw- strong smell and flavor. But when you cook onions to the point of being soft and carmelized, like you do in this recipe, what you get is just a richness of flavor. It's like when you eat a really good French Onion soup- it doesn't even taste onion-y, it just has this wonderful taste. If you ate this pie without knowing it's the onions that give it the flavor, you might guess that it was some expensive cheese that was added or something- but it's just the magical combination of bacon, onions, and eggs. Oh and also a little cream. The taste is truly terrific, and Mark seemed to forget all about his previous experience with onion pie as he gobbled up a big piece of this one. So anyway, let's get on with it! Here is the recipe as Heather sent it:
Vidalia Onion Pie (Or, Bacon Onion Quiche)
This recipe comes from "America's Best Lost Recipes" which is a collection of heirloom recipes found by the America's Test Kitchen people. (They have a great website with more recipes.)
Serves 6 to 8
1 recipe Single Crust Pie Dough, fully baked and cooled (recipe follows)
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 medium Vidalia onions, sliced thin (about 3 cups)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over med. heat until crisp, about 8 min. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. cook the onions in the bacon fat until browned, about 12 min. Transfer to a med bowl. Whisk the eggs, sour cream, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and 1 teasp. chives in large bowl, then add the bacon and onions.
2. Pour into the prepared pie shell and bake until the filling is puffed and cracked around the edges and the center barely jiggles when the pie is shaken, 25 to 30 min. Let cool for 10 min. and sprinkle with the remaining chives.
Single-Crust Pie Dough
Makes enough for one 9-inch pie
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2 in pieces and chilled
4 tablespoons unsalted ( I use regular salted cause I'm lazy) butter, cut into 1/4 pieces and chilled
4-6 tablespoons ice water
Pie crust- just process the ingredients, dump in a bowl and sprinkle the water. Knead a few times to pull it all together. Roll out, and place in pie pan.
Cook the crust in a 9in pie plate at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 min (line crust and edges with double layer of foil and fill with pie weights or pennies) After baking remove foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 min.
Hailey's Note: When I made this I figured chopping/cooking bacon and onions was enough work for one dinner, so I cheated and used a frozen Marie Calendar's pie crust from the store. I have to say it was every bit as good with the store-bought crust, so I say save yourself an extra mess and put it on your shopping list! It was as good as any pie crust I've ever made! Also, I used "Mayan Sweets" onions I got from Costco, and they worked great.
