Quiche Lorraine

Before you start

Quiche Lorraine is a savory custard of eggs and cream with smoky bacon, baked in a pastry case until it is just set. Versions differ: many French cooks leave out cheese entirely, while most American recipes add Gruyère or Swiss. This one includes a modest amount of Gruyère for depth without turning the filling stringy.

The texture comes from the ratio and the oven. About one large egg for every 120 ml of dairy, baked low and slow, gives a custard that trembles when you move the pan and cuts into tidy, creamy slices. Too many eggs or too much heat makes it spongy and weepy. Blind bake the crust thoroughly before filling, because raw pastry under a liquid custard never crisps.

Ingredients

• Crust200 g (1⅔ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 115 g (½ cup) unsalted butter — cold, cubed
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 to 4 tbsp ice water
• Filling200 g (7 oz) thick-cut bacon or lardons — cut into 1 cm strips
• 100 g (1 cup grated) Gruyère cheese
• Custard3 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 360 ml (1½ cups) heavy cream
• 120 ml (½ cup) whole milk
• ½ tsp fine salt — less if your bacon is very salty
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Method

1. Rub the butter into the flour and salt until most pieces are the size of small peas. Mix the yolk with 3 tablespoons of ice water, add it and toss until the dough holds when pressed, adding a little more water if needed. Flatten, wrap and chill for 1 hour.
2. Roll the dough to a 33 cm (13 in) round about 3 mm thick. Ease it into the pan, pressing it into the corners, and leave a 1 cm overhang to allow for shrinkage. Prick the base and chill for 30 minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rimmed baking sheet inside. Line the crust with parchment and weights and bake on the sheet for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and bake 10 minutes more, until the base is dry and lightly golden. Trim the overhang flush and lower the oven to 165°C (325°F).
4. While the crust bakes, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned but not hard. Drain it well on paper towels.
5. Whisk the eggs and yolks, then whisk in the cream, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg until smooth without making it foamy.
6. Scatter the bacon and Gruyère over the warm crust. Set the pan, on its sheet, on the oven rack and pour in the custard to just below the rim.
7. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly puffed and the center wobbles slightly when nudged. A thermometer in the center should read at least 71°C (160°F); custard is usually set by about 77°C (170°F).
8. Rest the quiche for 20 minutes before removing the ring and slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tips for success

• Fill the crust while it is still warm from blind baking. The heat starts setting the bottom of the custard right away and helps keep the base crisp.
• Pat the bacon dry. Excess fat pools in the custard and makes it look greasy.
• If the top browns before the center sets, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the quiche for the remaining time.

Substitutions

Heavy cream and milk

Half-and-half (480 ml) gives a lighter custard that is slightly less silky. All milk makes a firmer, more watery set and is not recommended.

Gruyère

Leave it out for a stricter Lorraine, or use Comté, Emmental or aged white cheddar at the same weight.

Bacon

Diced smoked ham works and needs no precooking. For a vegetarian quiche, use 250 g mushrooms or leeks cooked until dry.

Variations

Quiche Florentine

Replace the bacon with 250 g spinach, wilted, squeezed very dry and chopped, plus 60 g crumbled feta.

Leek and Gruyère

Cook 2 sliced leeks in 2 tbsp butter for 12 minutes until soft and sweet; use instead of bacon.

Troubleshooting

Watery liquid around the slices

The custard overcooked and squeezed out moisture, or the fillings were wet. Bake at 165°C (325°F), take it out with a slight wobble and drain the fillings well.

The texture is rubbery or full of holes

Too many eggs for the dairy or the oven was too hot. Keep to the ratio and use an oven thermometer.

The custard leaked under the crust

The pastry cracked during blind baking. Patch small cracks with a scrap of raw dough before filling, and brush the base with beaten egg for 1 minute in the oven.

Soggy bottom

The crust was not blind baked long enough. It should look dry and golden on the base before the custard goes in.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers, covered, within 2 hours of baking and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat slices at 165°C (325°F) for about 15 minutes, until hot in the center (74°C / 165°F). Baked quiche freezes for up to 2 months; thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Safety notes

Egg dishes should reach at least 71°C (160°F); check the center with a thermometer. Do not leave quiche at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Contains wheat, egg and milk.