Quiche lorraine
Quiche lorraine: smoky bacon in a rich egg and cream custard in a buttery shortcrust case
Quiche lorraine comes from Lorraine in north-eastern France, near Nancy and Metz, where it began as a bread-dough tart filled with eggs, cream and smoked bacon. It contains pork. The true Lorraine version has no cheese, just a deep, wobbly custard and crisp lardons, and it is eaten warm for lunch with a green salad or cut into slices for picnics. Chef's tip: blind-bake the pastry until it is golden and sealed; a pale base turns soggy under the custard.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pastry
For the filling
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 4 ½ oz cold butter into 9 oz plain flour and ½ tsp salt until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg yolk and 3 tbsp cold water and bring together into a dough without kneading. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
40 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Roll the pastry 3 mm thick and line a 23 cm deep tart tin, leaving a little overhang. Prick the base and chill for 10 minutes.
15 minStep 3: Line with baking paper and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for 8–10 minutes more until golden and dry. A common mistake is skipping this step, which gives a soggy base.
25 minStep 4: Fry the 7 oz smoked bacon lardons in a dry pan over a medium heat for 6 minutes until golden; drain on kitchen paper.
6 minStep 5: Lower the oven to 350°F (fan 300°F). Whisk 4 eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1 ¼ cups double cream, ¾ cup whole milk, 1 pinch ground nutmeg, ½ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp salt. Scatter the lardons over the base, place the tin on a tray and pour in the custard.
5 minStep 6: Bake for 30–35 minutes until just set with a slight wobble in the centre and golden on top; a knife in the middle should come out clean (the custard reaches about 162°F).
35 minStep 7: Cool for 20 minutes, trim the overhanging pastry and serve warm. Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 26 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does quiche lorraine take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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