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Homemade quiche lorraine with golden Gruyère top and chives in a white fluted tart dish, one slice removed showing the bacon and onion filling and crisp butter crust.

Quiche Lorraine

Crisp butter shortcrust, smoky bacon, onion fried in the bacon fat, and a Gruyère custard that sets firm enough to slice clean. Good warm from the oven or cold from the fridge the next day.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Chill time 30 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Brunch, Main Course
Cuisine: French
Calories: 420
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Crust
  • 250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 125g (9 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2–4 tbsp ice-cold water
Filling
  • 150g (5 oz) bacon, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 5 eggs
  • 250ml (1 cup) cream
  • 100ml (scant ½ cup) milk
  • 150 g (1½ cups) Gruyère, grated
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 small handful chives, finely chopped

Method
 

  1. Put the flour, salt and cold butter in a bowl. Rub the butter in 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 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.
  3. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
  4. Roll the dough to about 3 mm (⅛ inch) on a floured surface and line the tin. Press into the corners, trim the edge, and prick the base all over with a fork. Keep cold while the oven heats.
  5. Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F. Line the shell with baking paper, fill with baking weights 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.
  7. Fry the bacon in a dry pan over medium heat until crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
  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 for the top.
  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 a slight wobble.
  13. Rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Seal the base: brush the hot blind-baked shell with a little beaten egg white and return to the oven for 2 minutes. No soggy bottom.
5 eggs or 4: five eggs gives a firmer custard that slices cleanly and holds cold. For a softer, more custardy quiche, use four and pull it a few minutes earlier.
Don't skip the rest: slicing straight from the oven gives a runny middle. Fifteen minutes on the counter and it firms up.
No need to freeze the shell before blind baking — as long as the dough goes in cold and isn't stretched when lining the tin, it holds its shape.
Storage: keeps 3 days in the fridge, covered. Reheat slices at 160 °C / 320 °F for 10 minutes, or eat cold. Freezes well — cool completely, wrap slices individually, reheat from frozen at 160 °C / 320 °F for 20–25 minutes.