Caramelized Pear & Gorgonzola Quiche

prepared by and photo by Emily S. Downs

All of the ingredients in this compact closet cooking quiche, including the crust just make sense together. Each bite incorporates sweet caramelized pear, luscious gorgonzola, savory pancetta and a nutty flakey crust. This is what the fall tastes like folks.

Ingredients:
WALNUT BUTTER PIE CRUST:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground walnuts (toasted before ground)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
8 tbsp (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter (cold, cut into 1/2" cubes)
3-4 tbsp ice cold water
QUICHE:
1/4 cup pancetta (diced)
1 large shallot (diced)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 pears (cored & sliced into bite sized pieces)
4 eggs (lightly beaten)
1 cup half & half
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup gorgonzola (crumbled)
1 pre-baked walnut butter pie crust

WALNUT BUTTER PIE CRUST: Pulse the flour, ground walnuts, salt and sugar in a food processor to mix.
Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a corse meal, about 6-8 times.
Add a tablespoon of water at a time pulsing in between until it starts to clump together.
Place the dough on a clean surface and shape it into a disc.
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least  an hour.
Roll the dough into a 12″ circle about 1/8″ on a lightly floured surface.
Place the dough into a 9″ diameter spring form pan with the edges going up the side of the pan.
Place a piece of parchment paper in the pie and fill it with rice, beans or pie weights to hold it down. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes.
Remove the parchment paper and weights and poke the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times. Bake until a light golden brown, about 10 more minutes.

QUICHE: Cook the pancetta and shallot in a pan.
Add the butter and let it melt. Mix into sautéed pancetta and shallot.
Add the sugar and cook until bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Add the pear and sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
Mix the pears, eggs, half and half, thyme and gorgonzola and *pour it into the pre-baked pie crust.
Bake in a preheated 375F oven until golden brown on top and set in the center, about 25-45 minutes.

*I wrap the bottom of my springform in foil in case of leaking… extracautious. Just want to avoid the possibility of a mess in the oven