Quiche Lorraine

About This Recipe

Quiche Lorraine is the iconic French savory tart from Lorraine region — a buttery shortcrust pastry filled with a silky custard of eggs, cream, and lardons (small bacon pieces). The original 16th-century recipe didn't include cheese — that's a modern addition that spread as the dish travelled beyond Lorraine and picked up regional variations, though purists still argue the cheese-free version is the only true quiche Lorraine. When done right, the custard is just barely set, the crust is crisp, and each bite is luxuriously rich. Blind-baking the pastry shell first — lining it with parchment and baking beans to hold its shape, then baking a little further uncovered — is the step that prevents the dreaded soggy bottom, since the raw custard would otherwise seep into an unbaked crust before it has any chance to set. The custard ratio matters just as much as the crust: too much egg relative to cream and the filling turns rubbery rather than silky; the classic balance leans generously toward cream, baked low and slow so it sets to a gentle, barely-wobbling texture rather than puffing up and then collapsing. Rendering the lardons until they're golden but not fully crisp — they'll finish cooking in the oven — keeps them tender inside the custard instead of turning brittle.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 200 gall-purpose flour
• 100 gcold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 tbspice cold water
• 1egg yolk (for pastry)
• 200 glardons or thick-cut bacon, cubed
• 1 smallshallot, finely diced (optional)
• 4 largeeggs
• 2egg yolks
• 1.5 cupsheavy cream
• 1/2 tspfreshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 1/4 tspwhite pepper
• 100 gGruyère cheese, grated (optional, modern addition)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make pastry

   Pulse flour, butter, and salt in food processor until pea-sized crumbs. Add egg yolk and ice water. Pulse just until dough forms. Wrap and chill 1 hour.

2. 2

   Roll and line tart pan

   Roll pastry to 5mm thick. Line a 24cm fluted tart pan, pressing into corners. Trim excess. Chill 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Blind bake

   Line pastry with parchment, fill with pie weights. Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes. Remove weights, bake 5 more minutes until pale golden.

4. 4

   Cook lardons

   While crust bakes, sauté bacon over medium heat until crisp. If using shallots, add and cook 2 more minutes. Drain off fat.

5. 5

   Make custard

   Whisk eggs, yolks, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper until smooth. Don't over-whip — you don't want bubbles.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Scatter lardons (and Gruyère if using) over crust. Pour custard slowly over.

7. 7

   Bake

   Reduce oven to 175°C. Bake 35-40 minutes until custard is just set with slight wobble in center.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Cool 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature with green salad.

Variations

• •

  Add Gruyère for modern version.

• •

  Use ham instead of bacon (quiche au jambon).

• •

  Mix in caramelized onions or sautéed mushrooms.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat at 150°C for 15 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions