Quiche Lorraine

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200 C. Lightly butter one 18 cm tart tin. In a bowl, rub the plain flour, cold diced butter, and salt together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Mix in the egg yolk and cold water just until the dough comes together; do not overwork or the pastry will become tough.

   100 g plain flour50 g cold unsalted butter, diced1 g fine salt1 egg yolk15 ml cold water5 g unsalted butter
2. 2

   Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to about 3 mm thick, then line the tart tin. Press it well into the corners without stretching it. Trim the edge and chill for 10 minutes; this helps reduce shrinkage.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, put the pancetta in a cold frying pan and cook over medium heat until it renders some fat and lightly browns, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shallot and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until softened but not dark. Tip onto a plate to cool slightly.

   100 g pancetta, diced40 g shallot, finely diced
4. 4

   Prick the chilled pastry base lightly with a fork, line with baking paper, and fill with baking weights or dried beans. Blind-bake for 12 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake 5 minutes more until the base looks dry and just lightly coloured.

5. 5

   In a jug, whisk together the large eggs, double cream, Gruyere, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper until smooth. Stir in the cooled pancetta and shallot mixture. Keeping the filling slightly warm or at room temperature helps it bake evenly.

   2 large eggs120 ml double cream50 g Gruyere, finely grated0.5 g freshly grated nutmeg1 g fine salt0.5 g ground black pepper100 g pancetta, diced40 g shallot, finely diced
6. 6

   Reduce the oven to 180 C. Pour the filling into the hot pastry shell and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the custard is just set at the edges with a slight wobble in the centre. If it puffs up, that is normal; it will settle as it cools.

7. 7

   Rest the quiche for 10 minutes before unmoulding and slicing. Serve warm so the custard finishes setting and slices cleanly.

Origin & History

Quiche Lorraine comes from the Lorraine region in northeastern France. The earliest versions were made with a simple custard and cured pork in bread dough, before evolving into the buttery pastry tart widely known today. Cheese is common in modern versions, though it was not always part of the oldest recipes.