Bon Appétit (February 2008)
We were dying to try this Corn and Bacon Pie for three reasons: corn, bacon and pie. I mean, how can you go wrong?
Turns out, you can't. Basically a quiche with a cornmeal crust, this pie is a very tasty dish, perfect for a lazy Sunday morning at home.
Admittedly, part of the reason this pie is ideal for a lazy Sunday morning is that it takes kind of a long time to make. Even if you made the crust a day ahead (as we did), there's still a lot of chopping to be done, plus an hour of baking and another half-hour of cooling time.
So, yes, it's more labor-intensive than, say, a bowl of cereal or a scrambled egg. But the work is worth it when you curl up on the couch with the Sunday paper, a cup of strong coffee, and this delicious, flavor-packed pie with its crunchy cornmeal crust.
One note on ingredients: The recipe calls for fine-grind whole grain cornmeal. We had to seek out this cornmeal, and were only able to find medium-grind in our neighborhood. If you can find fine-grind (say that six times fast), definitely use it over medium-grind, as in some bites the texture of the crust was a bit grainy.
Corn and Bacon Pie
Bon Appétit (February 2008)
photo: Bon Appétit
Servings: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
3/4 cup fine-grind whole grain cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening (preferably with no trans fats), diced
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Filling:
1/2 pound bacon, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 12-ounce package frozen corn kernels (2 1/2 cups), thawed, patted dry
1 1/2 cups half and half
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 6 ounces)
Preparation
For crust:
Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Using back of fork, cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons ice water. Toss until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Shape dough into disk. Wrap; chill at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish with nonstick spray. Place large piece of parchment paper on work surface. Place dough in center; cover with second sheet of parchment. Roll out dough to 12-inch round. Peel off top parchment. Using bottom parchment as aid, turn dough over into prepared pie dish. Carefully peel off remaining parchment. Fit crust into dish, sealing any tears. Fold excess dough under and crimp edges, forming highstanding rim. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
For filling:
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 1/2 tablespoons drippings. Add onion and pepper to skillet. Sauté until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add corn; sauté until very tender, about 3 minutes longer.
Whisk next 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Mix in green onions, then corn mixture. Sprinkle bacon, then cheese over bottom of crust. Pour in egg mixture.
Bake pie 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.