Quiche Lorraine

This quiche lorraine recipe is the one I keep coming back to: a crisp, buttery shortcrust, smoky bacon, onion fried in the bacon fat, and a Gruyère custard that sets firm enough to slice clean. It’s the first thing I bake when the weather turns, and it works just as well warm from the oven as it does cold from the fridge the next day. My husband called it the best one I’ve ever made, so this is the version that’s staying.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

Crust

• 250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 125 g (9 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 2–4 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling

• 150 g (5 oz) bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5 eggs
• 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
• 100 ml (scant ½ cup) milk
• 150 g (1½ cups) grated Gruyère
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Small handful of chives, finely chopped

HOW TO MAKE QUICHE LORRAINE:

Make the crust

1. Put the flour, salt and cold butter in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like coarse crumbs, with a few pea-sized pieces left.
2. Add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of ice water. Bring it together with a fork, adding more water a spoon at a time only if it won’t hold. Stop as soon as it forms a dough — don’t knead it.
3. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.

Blind bake

4. Roll the dough to about 3 mm (⅛ inch) on a floured surface and line the tin. Press it into the corners and trim the edge. Prick the base all over with a fork and keep it cold while the oven heats.
5. Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Line the shell with baking paper, fill with baking weights (or dried beans) and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Remove the paper and weights and bake for another 8–10 minutes, until the base is dry and pale gold. Lower the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F.

Make the filling

7. Fry the bacon in a dry pan over medium heat until crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
8. Fry the onion in the bacon fat until soft and golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside with the bacon.
9. Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper in a jug. Stir in most of the Gruyère and the chives, keeping a small handful of cheese back for the top.

Assemble and bake

10. Scatter the bacon and onion evenly over the base of the shell.
11. Pour the custard over and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
12. Bake at 180 °C / 350 °F for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is set with just a slight wobble.
13. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Tips

Seal the base. Brush the hot blind-baked shell with a little beaten egg white and return it to the oven for 2 minutes. It forms a thin seal that keeps the custard from soaking in — no soggy bottom.

5 eggs or 4? Five eggs gives a firmer custard that slices cleanly and holds its shape cold. If you prefer a softer, more custardy quiche, use four and pull it out a few minutes earlier.

Don’t skip the rest. Cutting a quiche straight from the oven is how you get a runny middle. Fifteen minutes on the counter and it firms up beautifully.

No need to freeze the shell. A lot of recipes say to freeze the lined tin before blind baking. I didn’t, and it held its shape fine — as long as the dough went in cold and you don’t stretch it when lining the tin.

Swaps. Emmental or Comté work in place of Gruyère. Pancetta or lardons instead of bacon. A few sautéed leeks or spinach (squeezed dry) with the onion if you want more filling.

Storage

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days, tightly covered. Reheat slices at 160 °C / 320 °F for about 10 minutes, or eat cold. It also freezes well: cool completely, wrap slices individually, and reheat from frozen at 160 °C / 320 °F for 20–25 minutes.