Recipe: Onion and Bacon Pie

ONION AND BACON PIE
Source: The recipe is adapted from Jeff Smith's 1990 book "The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors" (Morrow) and he says it's "very German." I say it's just very delicious - and perfect for a cozy fall supper.
Makes one, 9-inch pie

4-5 thick slices, bacon - diced
2 cups, peeled and chopped yellow onions
2 eggs - well beaten
1 cup, sour cream
1 tablespoon, all-purpose flour
1/2 salt teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon, fresh-ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon, ground nutmeg (optional)
1 (9-inch) pie shell unbaked - or lightly baked*
(See *Cook's Note below recipe for directions for pre-baking crust)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Saut the diced bacon just until translucent, but not browned.
[Note: if you prefer a crisper result, saut the whole strips of bacon (not diced) until just crisp; drain the cooked slices, and crumble the bacon before adding it to the pie along with the onions, as directed below.] Drain the excess bacon fat from the pan, and in the remaining fat (you'll need about 2 or 3 tablespoons of fat), saut the chopped onions over low heat until they are translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool. In a medium-sized bowl, blend together the sour cream and the eggs. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the mixture and beat to incorporate. Beat in the salt and pepper, and the nutmeg, if using. Prick the bottom of the unbaked pie shell with a fork in several places. [If using a baked pie shell, this is not necessary, but be sure that the baked crust has completely cooled before adding the pie filling ingredients.]

Spread the onions and bacon over the dough in the pie pan. Pour the sour cream mixture over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 15 minutes, or until the pie is nicely browned, and the tip of a knife, inserted near the center of the pie, comes out clean. Allow the pie to stand for 10 minutes or so before serving for easiest (neater) cutting. Serve hot.

*Cook's Note:
To bake the pie crust "blind" (that is to say, to bake it empty) place the crust, without stretching the dough, into the pie plate, then cover with aluminum foil, pressing the foil down against the dough. Fill the foil-topped pie dough with beans or pie weights and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and beans or pie weights (either may be stored and re-used for this purpose at other times). Prick the piecrust all over with the sharp tines of a fork, and return the crust to the 400-degree oven for up to another 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow the crust to cool completely before filling.