Quiche Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine

The classic French quiche from the Lorraine region: a crisp shortcrust shell filled with a creamy egg custard and smoky lardons, baked until just set. No cheese in the original — the custard and bacon carry the flavour.

Prep

25 min

Cook

40 min

Total

65 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (1⅔ cups) plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• •100 g (7 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• •30 g (¼ cup) cold lard or shortening, traditional for flakiness; butter-only works
• •1 tsp fine salt
• •40 ml (3 tbsp) ice water, add a splash more if needed
• •200 g (7 oz) smoked lardons (thick-cut bacon), French lardons fumés; thick-cut smoked streaky bacon is the closest substitute
• •4 large eggs, room temperature
• •250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream (crème entière), use full-fat cream; in Lorraine it is traditionally just cream, not a cream/milk blend
• •100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) whole milk, optional, for a slightly lighter set
• •fine salt, ½
• •white pepper, ¼, traditional; black pepper is fine
• •1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg, grate fresh; do not skip
• •1 tsp unsalted butter, to grease the tin

Steps

1. 1 Make the pastry: in a bowl, rub the butter and lard into the flour and salt until you have coarse crumbs (or pulse in a food processor). Add the ice water a little at a time and bring the dough together just until it holds. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. 2 Blind bake the shell: roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a round about 3 mm (⅛ in) thick. Line a 23–24 cm (9 in) tart tin, trim, and prick the base with a fork. Chill for 15 minutes. Line with baking paper and fill with baking beans. Bake at 200 °C / 400 °F (fan 180 °C / 350 °F) for 15 minutes, remove the paper and beans, then bake a further 5–7 minutes until the base is pale gold and dry to the touch. Lower the oven to 170 °C / 340 °F (fan 150 °C / 300 °F).
3. 3 Cook the lardons: place them in a cold skillet, then set over medium heat. Render gently for 5–7 minutes until the fat has melted out and they are lightly browned and a little crisp. Drain well on paper towels. Let cool slightly so they do not curdle the custard.
4. 4 Make the custard: whisk the eggs, cream, milk, salt, white pepper and nutmeg until just combined. Do not over-beat or whisk in air.
5. 5 Assemble: scatter the lardons evenly over the blind-baked shell. Pour the custard over to fill almost to the top (the lardons should float, not all sink).
6. 6 Bake: slide into the oven and bake at 170 °C / 340 °F (fan 150 °C / 300 °F) for 25–30 minutes. The quiche is done when the edges are set and lightly puffed, the centre has only a slight wobble like set jelly, and the top is pale golden with light brown spots. Internal temperature of the custard at the centre should read 70 °C / 158 °F on an instant-read thermometer.
7. 7 Rest: leave in the tin for at least 10 minutes so the custard finishes setting and the slice holds. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature, the French way, with a simple green salad.