Corn and tomatoes turn quiche into a summertime favorite

Corn and tomatoes are the perfect summertime pair, which makes sense, as they both come into their prime seasons at the same time. Mother Nature always seems to know best. That's why I like to take my cues from her, as I did for this week's Bacon, Corn and Tomato Quiche.

While not a difficult dish to make, quiche seems like it should be. Rich custard, poured over cheese and other various ingredients, all housed in a buttery crust, is baked until the filling is just set and the crust is browned.

The result is a silky, cheesy, savory pie, which is at home for dinner as it is for brunch.

My summery version has a twist, along with a generous amount of bacon. In this recipe, the twist is in the custard, which is puréed in a blender, along with most of the corn. This infuses the entire quiche with the sunny taste of corn.

The rest of the corn and halved cherry tomatoes are sautéed in the drippings from the bacon, which is cooked until crispy before being arranged in the pie crust with crumbled feta and fresh, chopped basil and covered with the corn custard.

In a perfect world the crust would be made from an all-butter, homemade dough. The flaky, buttery crust is blind-baked, which means that it gets a running start in the oven, before it's filled and baked, ensuring that the bottom of the crust is properly browned when the rest of the quiche is perfectly baked.

Although homemade pie crust is easier to make than you think, and worth the effort, if time is of the essence, a store-bought dough will work. After all, the filling is the star of this show.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.

Serves 8.

Note: Feta, and a generous amount of fragrant basil, bring an additional dose of flavor to this summertime quiche. From Meredith Deeds.

• 1 recipe All Butter Pie Dough or purchased pie dough (see recipe)

• 8 slices bacon, coarsely chopped

• 1 c. halved cherry tomatoes

• 2 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels, divided

• 1 c. half-and-half

• 4 eggs

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 c. chopped basil

• 2/3 c. crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Position rack in the middle of the oven.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Freeze the dough for 15 minutes.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is nearly dry, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove foil and pie weights.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings.

Add tomatoes to skillet. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have begun to break down and most of their liquid evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup corn; cook, stirring until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a blender, combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups corn, half-and-half, eggs, salt and pepper. Purée until smooth.

Spread the tomato-corn mixture in the bottom of the pie crust. Sprinkle the bacon, feta and basil on top. Pour the corn custard over the top.

Bake quiche until filling is golden and just set in center, about 55 minutes. Let pie cool at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Serve slightly warm.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories380Fat26 g

Sodium470 mgCarbohydrates26 g

Saturated fat13 gAdded sugars0 g

Protein12 gCholesterol155 mg

Dietary fiber2 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 starch, ½ carb, 1½ medium-fat protein, 3½ fat.

Makes 1 single pie crust.

Note: From Meredith Deeds.

• 1 1/3 c. flour, plus more for surface

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/2 c. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes

• 1/4 c. ice cold water

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter with knives or a pastry cutter, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed.

Shape the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.