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Monday, March 31, 2014

Wisconsin Cheese Curd Lovers Bacon and Sausage Quiche

If you haven't experienced Wisconsin cheese curds, it's something you must try if you ever visit the "Cheesehead state". They are nuggets of cheese that when fresh and bitten into, provide a delicious squeak and flavor that are like nothing you have ever experienced. They are affectionately referred to as "squeaky cheese" by those who love them.

Ingredients
1 deep dish pie crust (I used frozen ready made)
1/3 lb. Breakfast Turkey Sausage
1/3 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 lb. fresh crumbled bacon ,or 6 slices precooked bacon (crumbled)
1/4 lb. (about) yellow cheddar cheese curds ( cut into nugget sizes)
3/4 measuring cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup or 3 green onions sliced (I include 1/2 of the green portion)                                                 
4 sun dried tomato halves (chopped in small bits)
8 large fresh basil leaves julienne or about 1/4 cup
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard          
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. course ground pepper 





It's definitely best to get your cheese curds as fresh as possible. There are grocery stores in Wisconsin that will have a table loaded with cheese curds marked,"Fresh Today". The fresher the curd, the squeakier the bite.








Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese in the bottom of the pan. Fry up bacon and sausage (sprinkle oregano on sausage while frying). Distribute sausage evenly in the bottom of the pie crust. Place nuggets of cheese curds, half of the bacon bits, onions, half the julienne basil, and sun dried tomato bits and evenly distributed in the pan. Mix milk, eggs, mustard, salt, and pepper and poor over ingredients in pie shell. Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and bacon. Place in preheated oven for about an hour (check at 50 mins.), or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle of the pie. Sprinkle with remaining fresh basil on top.  Let sit for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.




















 I love that the curds get warm but don't totally melt, leaving you with little chunks of ooey-gooey deliciousness.