Quiche Lorraine Pizza

This recipe combines the flavors of the classic Quiche Lorraine (onion, bacon, Gruyere cheese) on a pizza base, instead of a tart shell - apparently, the earliest incarnations of this dish used a bread dough base, rather than the flaky pastry we've come to know. You can make your own pizza dough (there are plenty of recipes on here), or buy dough at your supermarket. Your local pizzeria will probably also be happy to sell you a lump of raw dough, if you ask nicely. If you can't find (or don't like) Gruyere, any Swiss-style cheese will work (but something more flavorful than a bland American-made baby Swiss would be much better).

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 3
• Yields: 1 12-inch pizza

Ingredients

• 1  lb  pizza dough
• 1  leek
• 3  tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 6  slices bacon, cooked and roughly chopped
• 1⁄2 lb gruyere, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 3  eggs
•  salt, to taste
•  freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500°F If you have a pizza stone, set it on a rack in the middle of the oven. Let pizza dough come up to room temperature while the oven is heating.
2. Thinly slice the white and light-green parts of the leek. Wash and drain well. Discard the dark green parts.
3. Melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat in a small saute pan. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Shape the pizza dough into a roughly 12" circle on a pizza peel, or on the back of a cookie sheet, sprinkled with flour or fine cornmeal. Melt the remaining butter and brush all over the pizza dough. Spread the leeks over the surface, leaving a 1/2-1" border all around. Sprinkle the bacon over the leeks, then top with the shredded cheese. Crack the eggs (evenly spaced) over the cheese, then sprinkle black pepper over the whole thing.
5. Slide the dough onto your pizza stone (or place the pan into the oven) and bake 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve hot.