A Traditional Quiche Lorraine
I have fond memories of quiche, my local cafe does a good one, they’re a great addition to a picnic basket and even more than this, i have great memories of quiche being a staple part of my mums Sunday baking!
Memories of her with floury hands standing around the kitchen bench every Sunday baking her usual batches of pies quiches and other savoury goods she made to ensure we all got to eat some great homemade food during the week and there was enough to fill Dads ‘bait tin’ for his shifts down the mine!
Its difficult to beat tradition, and a traditional Quiche Lorraine is a great example of this!
Ok, maybe i’ve given it a little bit of a change up.
Instead of cheddar cheese, the cheese my Mum used in her recipe, for this recipe i used gruyere!
Giving the quiche a rich, creamy, salty and nutty flavour which goes perfectly with the lardons (or bacon bits), the creamy texture of the eggs with the added pinch of nutmeg.
It’s a great choice to ramp up the poshness of the slices of quiche but equally as easy to bake.
Don’t forget the pastry, making my own is my 99% go to , but if that’s not for you or you’re short of time, get out the ready rolled.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
Sometimes, traditional is best!
What You Need
Pastry
175g Plain Flour
100g Cold Butter - Cut into small cubes
1 Egg Yolk
Cold water - See Tip Box
Filling
200g Lardons - See Tip Box
50g Gruyere Cheese
100g Cream
3 Eggs
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
Pinch of Salt & Pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Small cubes of gruyere cheese and salty lardons in the base of the partly baked pastry case
How It’s Done
Pastry
Place the flour into a bowl or into the bowl of a food processor.
If using an electric food processor and while the motor is running, add the egg yolk and then slowly, one at a time, add pieces of the butter
Add one tablespoon of cold water at a time and let it run until the dough comes together into a ball - See Tip Box
If making the pastry by hand, place the flour and egg yolk into a bowl, add all of the cold pieces of butter and using a pastry cutter or two blunt knifes, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the pastry comes together into a firm but soft ball.
Once the pastry comes together, tip it out onto the work surface , bring it together into a ball, wrap in cling film and place it into the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes. - Dont over work it - See Tip Box
Heat the oven to 180c and place an oven proof tray in the oven to heat up
While the pastry is resting, make the filling.
Heat up a frying pan, add 2 tablespoon of oil to the pan an then add the lardons
Let them cook until they are fully cooked and start to colour but aren’t crispy .
Once the bacon is cooked, remove the pieces from the pan, place them onto a plate covered with paper towel and leave to drain.
Cut off 3/4 of the the gruyere and dice into very small cubes. Grate the remaining 1/4 of the cheese and set them both aside
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat to loosen them up.
Add the cream to the beaten eggs, some salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Give them a good mix together.
Dust the work surface with a little flour.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out to a larger size than a loose bottomed fluted tin. - See Tip Box
Lay the pastry gently onto the tin and ease it into the tin and into any grooves with an over hang of around 2 inches.
Cover the pastry with non-stick baking parchment and add baking beans or rice to blind bake - See Tip Box
Place the covered tin into the hot oven sitting on the hot oven tray
Let it cook for 12 minutes, remove the baking beans and baking parchment before putting it back into the oven to bake for a further 5-10 minutes - until the pastry is firm on the bottom but with no or colour
Remove fro the oven and use a sharp knife to run around the edge of the tin, getting rid of the overhanging pastry
Lay the bacon and the chunks of gruyere cheese in the bottom of the partly cooked pastry
Pour the egg mixture over the top of the cheese and bacon.
Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top and place the baking tray back into the hot oven
Bake for around 25 minutes until cooked and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving or serve cold.
Full of bacon and cheese in a creamy egg blanket
Tip Box
Pastry - Food Processor - 1) Using a food processor takes a lot less time to make the pastry, but be patient and don’t take your eye off it when the machine is running and all of the butter has been added.
2) Don’t over work the pastry. Handling it too much, or letting it run too much in. the food processor, will make the end resulting pastry tough and not too good to eat.
Blind Baking - 1) Blind baking is a way of part baking the pastry to make sure there is no soggy bottom
2) Baking Beans - If you don’t have baking beans, thats ok. Use flour or uncooked rice to blind bake the pastry
3) Rolling it out - Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin….ish
Water - 1) No need to have ice cold water, just get it as cold as possible.
2) Add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time when making the pastry, just until the pastry comes together into a soft firm dough. It’s possible to add water but not take it out.
Lardons - No lardons, don’t worry. Use a pack of streaky bacon and slice it up before cooking.
One slice or two?
