The combination of caramelised onions or shallots slowly braised in white wine & thyme, creamy goats’ cheese and bacon make a delicious filling for a quiche. It is a perfect breakfast or brunch option that everyone loves.

I’ve always been the biggest fan of a good quiche. I grew up on them and they were always served at a party or social gathering. It is a dish I love for so many reasons. It’s ultra-versatile. It can be eaten at breakfast, lunch or supper.

It can be eaten warm or cold. It’s superb at a picnic and is a no-mess no-fuss meal-in-one for a road trip. It contains all the food groups so is a self-contained entity. It’s loaded with cheese and served with a crunchy salad and a glass of iced cold dry white wine it is a perfect meal.

Caramelised shallot and goats cheese quiche with bacon on a serving plate

How to make caramelised shallot and goat cheese quiche with bacon

The recipe for this caramelised onion and goat’s cheese quiche can be made in 3 stages

First, you make the crust.

I love my simple tried and tested pastry recipe for quiche. If you are looking for something more cheesy you can check out this recipe for cheese & onion quiche where cheese is added to the crust for more flavour.

I use a food processor to make the pastry as this is the simplest. It ensures that you do not overwork the dough and it comes together in a matter of seconds.

As with all crust recipes, all your ingredients must be cold.

You can make the dough or make and line the tart tins the day before and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble (see instructions below). You can make smaller quiches if you prefer, just adjust the cooking time accordingly. Roll the dough out twice to get the required rounds cut out.

2. Make The Filling

The second part of the process is preparing the filling. First, you slowly braise the shallots (or onions) until they are fully cooked, caramelised and melting. First, fry them until they take on colour and then cover them with wine and braise them for a further 30 minutes. Or so. Use a pressure cooker to speed up the process.

Fry the bacon in a non-stick frying pan until crispy. Drain on paper and set aside.

This part can also be made a day in advance. Simply place caramelized shallots (onions) in an airtight container (and the bacon) and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

The rest of the filling is made up of eggs, cream fraiche (or sour cream) cheese, herbs and bacon which can be whipped together before assembly.

Assemble the Quiche

When you are ready to bake, assemble the goat’s cheese quiche.

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and place it in a tart pan. Line the crust with aluminium foil or baking paper, fill it with pie weights or beans, and bake it for 30 minutes. Blind baking ensures you get a crisp pie dough.

Remove the weights and paper, then fill the quiche with the prepared egg mixture filling as per the recipe below. Bake the quiche and serve fresh out of the oven, or store it in the fridge for the next day.

A slice of Caramelised shallot and goats cheese quiche with bacon

Can you freeze quiche?

You can even freeze it for up to a month by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and reheating it when needed.

Although freshly baked is always best, making this quiche ahead of time is a great option when serving a crowd.

Quiche can be eaten warm or at room temperature and can be made in advance and reheated. Make the shallot filling in advance as this takes a little longer.

Pro tip:

When baking the filled quiche, place the tart tin on a baking tray before putting it in the oven. It makes the taking in and out much easier and catches any spills if some of the filling leaks out.

Use a tart case with a removable bottom to make taking it out easier.

You can make your own quiche fillings by keeping the egg mixture constant and using other cooked vegetables with the same ratio. Use caramelized onions instead of shallots if you prefer.

Omit the bacon to keep this quiche vegetarian.

Caramelised shallot and goats cheese quiche with bacon recipe with a bottle of La Motte Sauvignon blanc

This recipe was originally developed and shot for La Motte to pair with their 2022 Sauvignon Blanc.

Goats cheese and this tart is a natural pairing for Sauvignon Blanc.

A few other quiche recipes you might like:

This recipe for cheese and onion quiche comes from Ina Paarman and is one of my all-time favourites. The pastry has cheese making it extra delicious.

My zucchini and bacon quiche is a favourite of mine and I have used that simple pastry in this recipe.

I also love to make a crustless quiche. I enjoy a variation I use with a whole wheat bread base which is quicker and a little healthier. It involves frying onion until soft, adding garlic and then whole wheat bread crumbs to form a base which gets pressed into a baking dish. No blind baking is required for that.

A few other goat’s cheese recipes you might like:

Roast cherries with whipped goat’s cheese dip

Caramelised onion & goat’s cheese tartlets

Goat’s cheese truffles with honey & pistachios

Dukkah baked pears with goat’s cheese & honey

On the shallot front, you might like my no-knead focaccia shallot pissaladière.

A slice caramelised shallot (onion) and goats cheese quiche with bacon recipe

Recipe – make one large 28 – 30cm quiche

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:1 30

Ingredients

Pastry:

120 g butter
200 g Cake Flour
2 –3Tbsp ice cold water

Filling:

500 gms shallots
3 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves
1 star anise pod optional
½ cup dry white wine
4 large free-range eggs
1 Tbsp Self Raising Flour
250 g creme fraiche / sour cream
1 ½ cups very mature Cheddar or one cup Cheddar and ½ cup Parmesan
¼ cup milk
2 tsp chopped fresh herbs thyme & parsley – or 2 tsp dried mixed herbs such as Herbs de Provence
6 rashers of streaky bacon chopped
125 gm log of goat’s cheese chevin

Instructions

Make the shallots in advance. You can either cook these slowly on the stovetop in a heavy-based lidded pot over medium heat or cook in an instant pot/pressure cooker.
Peel the shallots and cut both ends off then cut them in half if they are small, or in quarters if they are bigger.
Add a splash of olive oil to a pot and sauté them until going brown with the thyme leaves and star anise. Once they have taken on some colour, pour in the wine and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Then take the lid off and allow any liquid to cook off. Remove the thyme stalks and star anise.
To cook the shallots in a pressure cooker, sauté as per above then cover with wine and cook for 10 minutes on high and then use a natural release. Set the pressure cooker to sauté to cook off any excess liquid at the end.

To make the pastry base:

Add the flour and butter to a food processor and briefly blitz until it’s a fine crumb. Pour the ice water through the spout and briefly mix to form a dough. Tip this onto a floured surface and knead gently. Cover in cling film and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350 F
Roll the pastry out to about 4mm thick and a big enough circle to cover a 28cm – 30cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Lay this over a loose-bottomed tart tin (28cm – 30cm in diameter).
Prick the surface of the pastry with a fork in multiple places, cover it with baking paper and fill it with baking beans, dried beans, or rice. Blind bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, take out the baking paper and beans and put the pastry case back in the oven for a further 12 minutes.
To make the filling
While the pastry is baking blind, make the filling.
Fry the bacon in a non-stick frying pan until crispy. Drain on paper and set aside.
Beat the eggs and flour together until well combined. Add all the crème fraiche and milk and mix. Add the grated cheddar and fold it in.
Place the hot pastry tart in the case on a rimmed baking tray and sprinkle over half the bacon and shallots. Pour over the filling mixture. Top with the remaining bacon and shallots.
Slice the goat’s cheese into rounds and break these up dotting them over the mixture evenly. Press in slightly to submerge into the filling
Return the quiche to the oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until it has set and browned around the edges.