frenchquicheeggpancettaclassicbakingintermediate

Quiche Lorraine

Name: Quiche Lorraine
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 100 g plain flour; 50 g cold unsalted butter, diced; 1 g fine salt; 1 egg yolk; 15 ml cold water; 100 g pancetta, diced; 40 g shallot, finely diced; 2 large eggs; 120 ml double cream; 50 g Gruyere, finely grated; 0.5 g freshly grated nutmeg; 1 g fine salt; 0.5 g ground black pepper; 5 g unsalted butter

This quiche has a crisp, buttery shortcrust shell filled with silky savoury custard, sweet shallot, smoky pancetta, and nutty Gruyere. Rich but balanced, it is equally good warm for lunch or as part of a classic supper.

2 servings

966 kcal

French

Ingredients

Pastry

100 gplain flour
50 gcold unsalted butter, diced
1 gfine salt
1egg yolk
15 mlcold water

Filling

100 gpancetta, diced
40 gshallot, finely diced
2large eggs
120 mldouble cream
50 gGruyere, finely grated
0.5 gfreshly grated nutmeg
1 gfine salt
0.5 gground black pepper

For the tin

5 gunsalted butter

Instructions

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

Nutrition per serving

966 kcal

Calories

30g

Protein

31g

Carbs

78g

Fat

Fiber

Notes

•For the crispest base, assemble the filling only after the blind-baked shell comes out of the oven.
•If you prefer a more traditional version, omit the cheese; many classic Lorraine recipes use only egg, cream, and bacon.
•Serve with a sharply dressed green salad for balance.
•A metal tart tin gives better browning than ceramic.

Background

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.

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