Bacon-Sausage Quiche Tarts

Brayden ate his first solid food Wednesday afternoon. Half a teaspoon of mashed avocado, mixed with a small amount of breast milk to thin it to a manageable consistency. He sat in the new high chair Aunt Linda had bought us for his six-month milestone (he is twenty-five weeks and a few days — not quite six months but close enough). The first bite went in. His face went through three distinct expressions in two seconds: surprise, suspicion, acceptance. The second bite went in. By the fifth bite he was leaning forward toward the spoon.

The bacon-sausage quiche tarts are mini quiches in muffin-tin format — pie-crust rounds pressed into a muffin tin, filled with a custard of eggs and heavy cream and shredded Gruyère, topped with chopped cooked bacon and crumbled cooked breakfast sausage, baked at three-seventy-five for twenty-two minutes. The mini quiches are sized to be a single-serving brunch component or a two-bite passed appetizer. I had been planning to make them as part of the Methodist church women’s circle luncheon next month and Sunday was the test bake.

The technique question for mini quiches is keeping the custard from over-puffing in the small format — the high egg-to-volume ratio in a mini quiche means the custard wants to soufflé up and then collapse. The fix is heavier cream (so the custard sets denser), lower oven temperature (so the custard sets slowly), and a brief rest out of the oven (so the custard finishes setting on residual heat). The test bake landed the geometry within tolerance. The Methodist luncheon plan is on track.

Sunday I made twelve mini quiches for the blog write-up and for our own brunch. Dustin had four. I had three. We froze the remaining five for weekday-breakfast pulls. The mini quiche is the kind of recipe that earns its spot in the freezer rotation because it reheats in the toaster oven without losing structure.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 12 tarts

Ingredients

1 package (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts)
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 lb ground breakfast sausage, cooked and drained
4 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons finely diced yellow onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Cut the crusts. Unroll both pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Using a 4-inch round cutter or the rim of a wide glass, cut out 12 rounds, re-rolling scraps as needed.
Form the tart shells. Press one dough round into each muffin cup, gently pressing it up the sides to form a small shell. Prick the bottoms a few times with a fork. Blind-bake for 8 minutes until just set but not browned. Remove from oven.
Make the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and milk until smooth. Stir in the cheddar, Gruyere, onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Layer the meat. Divide the crumbled bacon and cooked sausage evenly among the par-baked tart shells.
Fill and bake. Pour the egg mixture over the meat in each shell, filling to about 3/4 full. Bake at 375°F for 18–22 minutes, until the centers are set and the tops are lightly golden.
Cool completely. Let tarts cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool fully before packaging for the freezer.
Freeze for later. Arrange cooled tarts in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer to a labeled zip-top freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze up to 3 months.
Reheat. From frozen: wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave 60–90 seconds, or reheat in a 350°F oven for 12–15 minutes until warmed through.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bacon-Sausage Quiche Tarts