I am a self-confessed Quiche Lorraine bore.
You see, I am from Lorraine, and therefore consider my recipe to be the definitive one. And I do not tolerate for any liberties to be taken with it. Only shortcrust pastry, lardons, eggs, cream and seasoning are allowed. Nothing more, nothing less.
Because the beauty of Quiche Lorraine resides in its simplicity.
Which is why to me, the addition of cheese is just pure heresy. I pour scorn on the use of onions. And if you dare add mushrooms, peppers, or, horror of horrors broccoli, I shall track you down and force you to listen to Celine Dion’s back catalogue in a loop until you see the error of your ways and promise never to do it again.
Ok, rant over.
Quiche Lorraine is meant to be shared, and perfect for an informal party. It can be made ahead, is delicious hot or cold, and everyone knows that it tastes even better if you ditch the cutlery.
You will need:
300 g plain flour
150 g unsalted butter, cold, diced
200 g lardons (or diced bacon, or pancetta)
3 eggs
250 ml crème fraîche
150 ml double cream
Salt
Pepper
Method:
Make the pastry. In a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and the butter to the flour. Work the flour into the butter between your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add enough cold water to bind, knead briefly then form into a ball (you can of course use a food processor instead if you prefer). Wrap in cling film then chill for 20 min.
Preheat the oven to 200C/ fan 180C/ gas 6.
Roll out the pastry to line a 28 cm fluted tart tin (re-form any leftover pastry into a ball and freeze for another time). Chill again for 10 min, then line with foil, add baking beans, and bake blind for 15 min. Remove the foil and beans, and return to the oven for 5 min.
While the pastry is in the oven, heat up a non-stick frying pan, and dry-fry the lardons for a few minutes. They should colour slightly, but make sure they don’t get crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
In a large jug, slightly beat the egg, then mix with the creams. Season, being careful not to add too much salt, as the lardons will be quite salty already.
Scatter the lardons over the pastry base, pull the oven shelf partially out of the oven, and place the tin on it. Carefully pour the filling, stopping just below the edge of the pastry. Push the shelf in gently, and bake for about 20 min until golden on top and soft in the middle.
Really lovely photos, looks absolutely yummy.
That looks lovely, I get round the addition of peppers, mushrooms, cheese and even chilli by calling it a savoury flan..
As long as you don’t call it quiche then I won’t feel the need to report you to the quiche police 🙂
Glad you like the recipe!
I love quiche lorraine, and used to make it quite often. Until I met my dearest French girlfriend, Pascal! She told me ‘no cheese’ in the quiche if it is French! 🙂 She makes her own pie crust as you have done here, but I use store bought.:( Pascal has given me her filling recipe. I make varieties of quiche, to which I do add caramelized onions (oops!). Once I am back from my vacations, I will post my version of quiche. I will ask you for your opinion. 😀 Fae.
I am sure your quiche is delicious, just like the rest of your food 🙂
Bravo! I spent a year living in Nancy and was thrilled to enjoy Quiche Lorraine among the many specialties of the region – thanks for bringing back the memory 🙂 I think it’s important for people to know the significance of traditional recipes – all those variations can still be quiche, but not Quiche Lorraine. A good fresh salad with French vinaigrette (and of course a glass of local French wine!) made it the perfect dinner
I am so glad you like it, thanks for your comment! 🙂
Gotta love a purist!! One question, though, from the other side of the pond, would double cream be what we call heavy cream? Also a tip for the klutzy: I put all my pies on a baking sheet before going in the oven. I know my limitations!
Yes I think double cream and heavy cream are the same thing. Thanks for sharing your tip, I might try it next time! 🙂
I was looking for a good recipe. But I’ve always put mixture in raw. Pastry never blind baked
I find it stops the pastry getting soggy this way. Let me know how it goes if you try it 🙂