I love a Classic Quiche Lorraine. Full of savory bits of bacon, salty cheese, and silky egg custard, this dish can be served for brunch or dinner. I’ve made this for wedding and bridal showers and eaten it for dinner and lunch. And maybe I’ve eaten it cold as a midnight snack.
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I like to serve this for brunch with Decadent Southern-style Cheese Grits, a basket of warm Fruit And Nut Oatmeal Scones, and either a Barbecue Bloody Mary or a pitcher of Fresh Peach Bellinis.
WHAT IS A QUICHE LORRAINE?
Let’s start by saying that this is a decadent and luscious treat. Definitely not something that you eat every weekend.
Quiche is a French pastry that is filled with eggs and cream, and a variety of cheeses, meat, and vegetables.
Quiche Lorraine became popular in the ‘70s when it became fashionable to serve it at ladies’ luncheons.
WHAT IS PATE BRISEE?
Pate Brisee is the crust. It is made with only butter instead of shortening or lard. It is incredibly flaky and rich, and I love making it when I serve the quiche for special occasions. It’s worth the time it takes, but this quiche is just as delicious with a store-bought crust.
TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- The Pate Brisee is a decadent extra step, but there is nothing wrong with using a frozen crust or refrigerated crust. It cuts down the time significantly and is still delicious.
- Use thick-cut bacon, not regular or thin. Also, cook the bacon until it is very crisp, and be sure to reserve a tablespoon of the fat to saute the shallots.
- If you don’t have shallots, use a minced onion that you slowly carmelize before spreading it on the bottom of the pie crust.
- Heavy cream is what makes the silky, luscious texture of the egg custard. Using milk or even half & half makes the egg custard have more of a scrambled egg texture.
- Grate the cheese yourself rather than buying a bag of pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shredded cheese has an anti-caking agent on it and doesn’t melt smoothly.
CLASSIC QUICHE LORRAINE
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
Description
This classic quiche lorraine is a decadent brunch dish, full of smokey bacon, salty Gruyere, heavy cream, and eggs.
Ingredients
For the Pate Brisee:
- 1 cup salted butter, frozen
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ – ½ heavy cream, ice-cold
For the quiche:
- ½ pound slab bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 5 extra-large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups Gruyere cheese, finely shredded
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the crust.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.
Grate the frozen butter into the food processor.
Process until the mixture resembles coarse meal – about 8 -10 seconds.
Keep the machine running while you slowly stream ¼ cup of the cream through the feed tube.
Pulse the mixture until a dough forms and is no longer wet or sticky. If the dough is crumbly, add more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide the dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a flat disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour. You will only need 1 disk for the quiche. The other crust can be frozen for another recipe.
To make the crust:
Lightly flour a flat surface. Roll out 1 disk of dough to about ¼-thick thick.
Carefully fold the pastry in half and move it into a 9-inch glass pie plate.
Press the dough into the pie plate. Trim the excess to leave about a 1-inch overhang.
Fold the edges under and crimp to make a decorative edge.
Place the pie plate and crust in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Remove the crust from the freezer.
Line the bottom of the crust with a circle of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake the crust until very lightly golden and set – about 25 minutes.
Remove the pie weights and parchment and bake until the bottom of the crust is golden, about another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack while you make the quiche.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Place the pre-baked crust onto a baking sheet and set it aside.
In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp – about 10 minutes. Stir often to separate the slices into individual pieces.
Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
Add the shallots and cook until translucent – about 3 minutes. Don’t allow them to brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside.
In a large bowl beat the eggs until they are uniformly yellow, without visible streaks of the egg whites.
Pour in the cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine.
Spoon the shallots into the pie crust and spread out evenly.
Add half of the bacon and then sprinkle all of the Gruyere cheese over the bacon.
Layer the remaining bacon over the cheese.
Pour the egg mixture over top, allowing it to seep into the bottom layers.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the top.
Bake the quiche, still on the baking sheet, for 45 – 50 minutes until the custard is set and lightly golden on the top.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 95 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: classic quiche lorraine, brunch, egg recipes, French food, French recipes, bacon, Gruyere cheese, light lunch
