Prep and cook time 60 minutes
The French classic made with pastry crust filled with a fluffy savory custard and bacon or ham.
Quiche Lorraine may not qualify as a gourmet dish and although easy to make, is not particularly quick to prep and cook.
However, I would like to take a break from my usual quick and easy gourmet recipes and include it because simple and comforting dishes are often overtaken by the tsunami of food trends.
In London in the 70’s when one tried to impress dinner guests, one served “continental” dishes. “The continent” you must understand, was the term used to describe that foreign soil beyond the channel that was at the time, reluctantly (and rightly) accepted by the English as being more sophisticated regarding matters relating to food and cooking. Quiche Lorraine was then an icon of French cuisine. It was one of the very early dishes I learned how to cook and was the centrepiece of many memorable dinners and lunches I hosted.
So too was the case when I moved to Sydney later that decade. A time when “real” men did not wear aftershave, drink wine (seriously) or eat Quiche Lorraine. It was not considered “man food” and had the reputation of a “ladies-who-lunch” dish.
This centuries old recipe comes from the Lorraine region of North Eastern France and whose main ingredients are lardons (bacon), eggs, milk and cream but no cheese. Then the foodies took over and the concept of binding ingredients with a light fluffy custard of eggs and milk took off. You now have a quiche made up of pretty much any filling you can think of but these do not qualify to be named a Quiche Lorraine, just a Quiche.
However, despite all the subtle and sophisticated culinary sensations available to us today, there is very little that is as comforting and heartwarming as the aroma of a simple pie crust and bacon wafting throughout the kitchen from a warm oven.
So don’t overlook this perennial favourite. It is an exceptionally versatile recipe and simple to make and using readymade pie pastry can be ready in an hour. It can be a basic and hearty quiche like this one or made with more esoteric fillings like goat cheese, figs with caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar. Summer or winter, it can be eaten warm or kept frozen. It can be made thin and cut up in bite size appetizers or thick and served with a salad for brunch or lunch for two or twelve.
Quiche Lorraine
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
- Refrigerated (not frozen) pie crust for a 9 inch pie pan
- 8 slices bacon, coarsley cubed
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream ( or half and half)
- A pinch Nutmeg
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- To prevent the crust from getting soggy when you add the filling, you need to "blind bake" the crust ( bake it without filling). Preheat oven to 350°. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie tin and trim edges so they are level with the top. Prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork; bake 8 to 9 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Remove pie crust and let it cool.
- While the crust is fooling, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, vigorously beat with a fork the 5 eggs, just as you would do for an omelet. Add cream and milk and beat again. At this stage you may want to add nutmeg.
- In the cooled pie crust shell, sprinkle cubed bacon and carefully pour egg batter.
- Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned and set in middle.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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