Bacon and Onion Pie (American South)

A delicious savoury dish for breakfast or brunch filled with eggs, cheese, bacon and sautéed onions.

1 cup cheese cracker crumbs
¼ cup butter, melted
3-4 slices + 6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, drippings reserved
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
3 cups onions, thinly sliced
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs, slightly beaten
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Combine cracker crumbs, 3-4 slices crumbed bacon, butter and poppy seeds and press into 8" pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside.

In a large sauté pan, sauté onion slices in reserved bacon drippings until tender. In a small thick bottom saucepan scald milk. (Note: Scalding means bringing the milk nearly to a boil, being sure to stir so the proteins of the milk don't stick to the bottom of the pan.)

In a medium mixing bowl beat eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Temper the eggs by slowly adding the scalded milk to the egg mixture while whisking. (Note: Tempering is a term used for gradually bringing the temperature of the two mixtures together.)

To assemble pie, place cooked onions on top of baked crust. Now add crumbled bacon (6-8 slices) and grated cheese. Pour egg mixture on top and bake 45 minutes or until the egg mixture is firm. Allow the pie to set 10 minutes after baking. This will make the pie easy to slice.

Makes 8 servings.