Quiche Lorraine
Why I Love This Recipe
In my Essentials of Pastry class at the French Culinary Institute, we most recently made Quiche Lorraine & a Tarte Bourdaloue. Below is the recipe for the way (I now believe) quiche should really be done. Forget the spongy, overly-eggy american quiche you know, and replace it with this delicious, authentic version.
Yield: one 8-inch or 9-inch tart or four 4-inch tartlets
Ingredients You'll Need
240 grams pate brisee
50 grams bacon (lardon), cut into 1/4 inch cubes
50 grams Gruyere, grated
125 milliliters milk
125 milliliters heavy cream
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Directions
Roll out the dough into a circle approximately 10 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick
Line a tart pan or ring with the dough and chill the shell
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Blind bake the tart shell in the preheated oven until light brown
Cook the bacon in a little oil over low heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon, drain on paper towels, and set aside until needed.
Prepare a custard with the milk, cream, eggs and seasonings.
Strain the custard through a fine strainer.
(alt step: also check the "walls" and lining of the tart shell and reinforce any weak looking areas with a thin layer of scrap brisee dough)
Arrange the fried bacon and grated cheese in the cooled tart shell.
Pour the custard over the bacon and cheese.
Bake the quiche at 250 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the custard is set and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Top should be of the lightest golden brown.
Special tips:
once the custard is in the shell, it must be baked immediately or the crust will soften
do not overbake the custard, or the eggs will scramble and the custard will weep
the custard in this recipe may be combined with a variety of ingredients to create variations of the traditional Quiche Lorraine
use salt sparingly since both the bacon and cheese are salty
