Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Quiche Lorraine is an absolute must for the buffet table. Golden shortcrust pastry encases a silky crème-fraîche-enriched egg filling, packed with caramelized onions, Gruyère cheese and crispy bacon.
Servings: 12 slices
Equipment
- 23cm (9 inch) diameter loose-bottomed flan tin - 2.5cm (1 inch) high sides
Ingredients
Pastry
- 180 g (1+ ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 115 g (4oz/1 stick) unsalted cold butter chopped into small pieces
- 1 egg yolk
- 1.5 tablespoons cold water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Filling
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 200 g (7oz) smoked bacon strips (streaky bacon - approx 12 rashers)
- 1 small onion peeled and finely sliced
- 3 large eggs
- 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) double (heavy) cream
- 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) crème fraiche
- 75 g (3/4 packed cup) Gruyere cheese, grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Topping
- 50 g (1/2 packed cup) Gruyere cheese, grated
Instructions
Make the pastry
- Place all of the pastry ingredients in a food processor switch on the food processor and let it run for 30-60 seconds, The mixture will start to look like breadcrumbs first then it'll start to clump together.180 g (1+ ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 115 g (4oz/1 stick) unsalted cold butter, 1 egg yolk, 1.5 tablespoons cold water, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Remove from the food processor and form into a ball.
- Roll out the pastry between two sheets of baking parchment into a circle approx. 30cm diameter.
- Line a 23cm (~9") loose-bottomed flan tin (* see notes) with the pastry, pushing it carefully into the edges.
- Trim the pastry neatly with kitchen scissors so it’s a little higher (about 1cm higher) than the sides of the tin. Prick the base all over, using a fork.
- Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan) and place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.
- Take the pastry out of the fridge and line with baking parchment. Scrunch it up first, then place it in – as this will help it to sit in the pastry-lined tin.
- Fill with baking beans (* see notes). Place on the hot baking tray and ‘blind bake’ for 15 minutes. The pastry may shrink back a bit, but it should still reach the top of tin if you left some pastry when you trimmed it.
- Carefully remove the parchment and baking beans, then place the pastry case back in the oven for a further 5 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool on the tray while you make the filling.
Quiche Lorraine filling
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.1 tablespoon oil
- Add the strips of bacon in a single layer. Cook, turning a couple of times, until crispy. This should take about 10 minutes. Keep the heat medium and don’t rush the cooking of the bacon. You want it to cook, without burning and to release some fat as it’s cooking.200 g (7oz) smoked bacon strips
- Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a chopping board and chop into small pieces.
- There should be some bacon fat left in the pan (if not add a tbsp of oil to it) then add in the sliced onion and fry for 10 minutes, over a medium heat, stirring often, until lightly golden and caramelised. Turn off the heat.1 small onion
- Whisk the eggs in a large jug until well mixed.3 large eggs
- Add the cream, crème fraiche, gruyere cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix together until thoroughly combined.150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) double (heavy) cream, 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) crème fraiche, 75 g (3/4 packed cup) Gruyere cheese, grated, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Spoon the fried onions into the bottom of the pastry shell. Sprinkle three-quarters of the chopped bacon on top.
- Place the pastry case (still in the tin, on the baking tray) onto the middle shelf of the oven.
- Carefully pull the oven shelf out a bit (make sure it’s supported) and pour the egg mixture into the pastry case, over the top of the onions and bacon. Sprinkle the second lot of cheese on top and carefully slide the oven shelf back into the oven.50 g (1/2 packed cup) Gruyere cheese, grated
Bake the quiche
- Turn the oven down slightly to170C/325F (fan) and cook the quiche for 25-30 minutes, until golden and risen.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining bacon pieces. Leave the quiche to rest for 5 minutes (allowing the bacon on top to warm up from the heat of the quiche) and serve.
- Alternatively allow to cool further (it’s delicious served warm), or cool completely then chill and serve cold.
Notes
Flan tin:
I'm using a 23cm (9") loose bottom flan tin that is 2.5cm (1") deep.Baking beans:
You can use shop-bought baking beans, or use dried beans or dried rice. Don’t eat the them after using for blind baking though.
Why should the butter be cold for pastry?
Butter needs to be cold for pastry so it stays solid. As it's whizzed up in the food processor, it's chopped into tiny solid chunks (we're 'cutting it in' to the flour, rather than blending it with the flour). So long as the pastry stays cold, the butter should stay solid. This means when we cook the pastry, the tiny butter chunks will melt and the moisture will evaporate, causing tiny steam pockets all over the pastry - creating perfect flaky and crumbly pastry.
I also use cold water in the pastry and I use a food processor (instead of warm hands).
I also use cold water in the pastry and I use a food processor (instead of warm hands).
Can I make quiche ahead?
Yes, absolutely. Cook the quiche then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Serve cold, or you can reheat in the oven at 180C/350F (fan) on a baking tray for about 15-20 minutes, until piping hot throughout. I like to cover it with foil to prevent it from browning too much, then remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.
Serve cold, or you can reheat in the oven at 180C/350F (fan) on a baking tray for about 15-20 minutes, until piping hot throughout. I like to cover it with foil to prevent it from browning too much, then remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.
Can I freeze quiche?
Yes. Cook the quiche then cool, and place in an airtight container in the freezer.
Defrost overnight in the freezer and reheat as per the above instructions. Or you can reheat from frozen, wrapped in foil, in the oven at 180C/350F (fan) on a baking tray for about 30-40 minutes, until piping hot throughout. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.
If you prefer, you can slice and wrap in individual portions before freezing. It will take approx. 20 minutes to heat up an individual portion from frozen (reheat it wrapped in foil).
Defrost overnight in the freezer and reheat as per the above instructions. Or you can reheat from frozen, wrapped in foil, in the oven at 180C/350F (fan) on a baking tray for about 30-40 minutes, until piping hot throughout. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.
If you prefer, you can slice and wrap in individual portions before freezing. It will take approx. 20 minutes to heat up an individual portion from frozen (reheat it wrapped in foil).
Nutritional information is approximate, per slice. This recipe makes 12 slices.
Nutrition
Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 591mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 681IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 1mg
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