Step 1: Roll the dough: Roll pie dough into a 16-inch round and press into your pie pan. Trim and crimp the edges. Try to make it look neat. Or don’t. It still works.
Step 2: Chill it: Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes. This is where patience is tested.
Step 3: Preheat oven: Set oven to 375°F and get ready for the “blind baking” part.
Step 4: Blind bake: Line crust with parchment, fill with weights or beans, and bake for 22 minutes.
Step 5: Bake again: Remove weights, poke holes in the crust, and bake another 16 minutes. Then lower oven temp to 325°F.
Step 6: Cook bacon: In a skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Drain, chop, and try not to eat half of it.
Step 7: Cook onions: In the same pan, cook onions in butter until soft and slightly caramelized. This smells amazing.
Step 8: Mix filling: Whisk together cream, milk, eggs, cornstarch, salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, and chives.
Step 9: Assemble: Add onions to crust, then half the bacon, all the cheese, and the rest of the bacon (save a little for topping).
Step 10: Add filling: Pour egg mixture over everything and sprinkle remaining bacon on top.
Step 11: Bake: Place on a baking sheet and bake for 55–65 minutes until set and golden.
Step 12: Cool slightly: Let it rest before slicing. I rarely wait long enough, but it helps.
