Herbed Pumpkin Quiche with Bacon

Mound the flour on the work surface, mix with salt and make a well in the center of the flour. Cut the cold butter into small pieces. Add the butter, egg, and approximately 50 ml (4 teaspoons) lukewarm water to the well. Use a pastry cutter or 2 table knives to work the dough until it resembles a coarse meal. Press the dough into a ball with your hands. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the pumpkin flesh into small cubes. Peel the onion and cut into small cubes. Slit the chile lengthwise, remove the seeds, rinse, and cut into fine dice. In a sauté pan, heat the butter. Add the pumpkin, onion, and chile and simmer, covered, over low heat, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, ginger, and cayenne pepper.

Cut the ham into strips; cut half of the ham into fine dice. In a bowl, blend the herbed crème fraiche, eggs, and herbs. Stir in the diced ham.

Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and transfer to a buttered quiche pan, pressing the dough into the sides and corners. Prick the dough in several places with a fork, line with parchment, and add enough dried peas to fill the pan. Bake blind in an oven preheated to 200°F (approximately 400°F) for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and use the paper to lift out the peas.