I'd found myself eyeballing Culp's menu on a number of occasions, when trying to find a lunch spot to meet a business partner about halfway between Dryden Road and Wilmington Pike.  Natural direction usually leads me to linger around oakwood, but there aren't a ton of great lunch options there.  The first time she talked me into trying Cooper's Deli, despite my argument that a nearly $20 rueben has no place in a market like Dayton.  It was decent, but not $20 sandwich good, that's for sure.  Apparently, the eaters agreed with me by refusing to pay those prices for meat and bread, and Cooper's closed after less than one year in business.

Anyhow, Culp's Cafe has a nifty and rich history behind it, which I'll let you read on Dayton History's website.  Their menu is pretty expansive for such a small place, which isn't always a good thing.  I'd had my eyes on their chicken salad (vanilla choice, I know - but I love a good chicken salad sandwich, and never eat it at home because only the Lil one and I enjoy it) - but ended up going a different route. We had a late lunch and they were down to their last few pieces of quiche, so I opted for the ham & cheese quiche with a side salad.  I certainly wasn't expecting such a mammoth slice, and never expect spring mix, oranges, pecans and housemade vinaigrette when I hear "side salad."  It was far and away the best piece of quiche I've ever had.  The custard was perfectly fluffy with a spot-on crust that still flaked apart, even on the bottom.  The fillings were strong enough in flavor, but didn't overwhelm the eggs.

For all of the years that I've loved quiche, making a good one has always been one of my greatest undoings as an unprofessional chef.  I've tried the most basic recipes to the most complex, all with lackluster (and sometimes inedible) results.  It dawned on me that since buying a new stove and pie pans, I hadn't given it another go.  I'd looked at so many recipes that I felt cross-eyed, so I decided to Frankenstein them together into what seemed like it would turn out best.  The recipe itself was incredibly simple - the secret is in the temperature adjustment.

1 refrigerated pie crust
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 C heavy cream or half & half
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 C onion, finely diced and sauteed
6 slices bacon (or more), chopped and fried crisp
1 C shredded Swiss cheese (bonus if you have gruyere to throw in, too!)

Pre-bake the shell in a pie plate or custard dish in 425 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes until it starts to turn golden brown. Don't forget to poke it with fork tines or a toothpick before baking, or it will be a bubbly disaster!  Pie weights or dry beans will also keep it from bubbling.

Bake 15 min at 425, reduce to 300 and bake another 30 minutes.

We have BFD at least once a week here, and usually we're fine with bacon, eggs, and some fried taters (mmmhmmm). But, sometimes I like to switch it up and use a different breakfast meat, or find something fancier to do with the eggs. Making a quiche has always been my greatest culinary undoing. It always overcooks on the bottom, and is never fluffy and decadent like it should be. This may have something to do with my 30 year old stove - which thankfully, since I've made these baby quiches last week, is now with Appliance Jesus in Stove Heaven.

I found a basic quiche filling recipe from a Julia Child recipe and tweaked it with the fillings I wanted. Here's what you'll need:

2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 C half & half
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese
6 strips of bacon, cooked & crumbled

Coat a mini or regular muffin pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, whisk your eggs, cream, salt and pepper (I like to add a pinch of cayenne, too). Divide the egg mixture evenly between the cups until they're about 1/2 to 2/3 full, then sprinkle each cup with bacon crumbles and Swiss cheese. Of course, you can use any kind of quiche-friendly meat and cheese you like, but this is Quiche Lorraine, fools. So, the bacon & Swiss are a must.

Bake about 25 minutes or until centers are completely set. You can tell by slipping a toothpick into the center - if it comes out clean, they're good to go.