Make the crust.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.  

Grate the frozen butter into the food processor.

Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal – about 8 -10 seconds.

Keep the machine running while you slowly stream ¼ cup of the cream through the feed tube.

Pulse the mixture until a dough forms and is no longer wet or sticky.  If the dough is crumbly, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Divide the dough into two equal balls.  Flatten each ball into a flat disc and wrap it in plastic wrap.  Place in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour.  You will only need 1 disk for the quiche.  The other crust can be frozen for another recipe.

To make the crust:  

Lightly flour a flat surface.  Roll out 1 disk of dough to about ¼-thick thick.

Carefully fold the pastry in half and move it into a 9-inch glass pie plate.

Press the dough into the pie plate.  Trim the excess to leave about a 1-inch overhang.

Fold the edges under and crimp to make a decorative edge.

Place the pie plate and crust in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Remove the crust from the freezer.

Line the bottom of the crust with a circle of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake the crust until very lightly golden and set – about 25 minutes.

Remove the pie weights and parchment and bake until the bottom of the crust is golden, about another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack while you make the quiche.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Place the pre-baked crust onto a baking sheet and set it aside.

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp – about 10 minutes.  Stir often to separate the slices into individual pieces.

Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.

Add the shallots and cook until translucent – about 3 minutes.  Don’t allow them to brown.

Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.

In a large bowl beat the eggs until they are uniformly yellow, without visible streaks of the egg whites.

Pour in the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Whisk to combine.

Spoon the shallots into the pie crust and spread out evenly.

Add half of the bacon and then sprinkle all of the Gruyere cheese over the bacon.

Layer the remaining bacon over the cheese.

Pour the egg mixture over top, allowing it to seep into the bottom layers.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the top.

Bake the quiche, still on the baking sheet, for 45 – 50 minutes until the custard is set and lightly golden on the top.