Serves: 8-10 people
We’re heading to Northeast France with this crowd-pleasing classic. It’s one of our French favourites: a crisp pastry case filled with a silky smooth mixture of cream, eggs and smoked bacon, then baked till golden with just the right amount of wobble. It’s magnifique served warm from the oven, or pack it up for a picnic – the perfect dejeuner sur l’herbe.
Ingredients
- Plain flour, for dusting
- 300g all butter shortcrust pastry
- 180g smoked streaky bacon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 medium eggs
- 300ml double cream
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 25g unsalted butter
Directions
1Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the pastry to make a circle large enough to line a 28cm round, shallow, loose-bottomed tart tin. Roll the pastry up around your rolling pin, then unroll into the tart tin. Gently press into the tin and carefully trim away any excess pastry. Prick the base all over with a fork, then pop the tin in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.
2While the pastry case chills, chop the bacon rashers into small pieces. Pop a frying pan on a medium-high heat, add the oil and the bacon and fry, stirring, for 4-5 mins till the bacon is lightly browned. Scoop the bacon out of the pan and set aside on a plate.
3Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Pop a large baking tray in the oven to warm up. Crack the eggs into a bowl and pour in the cream. Season with a small pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper and beat together.
4Take the baking tray out of the oven and set the tart tin on it. Sprinkle the cooked bacon over the base of pastry case. Pour in the cream and egg mixture. Dot the butter over the top.
5Slide the quiche into the oven and bake for 25 mins, or till just set with a little bit of a wobble in the middle of the quiche when you gently shake the tray. Let the quiche cool in the tin for 5-10 mins, then carefully remove from the tin. Serve warm or cold. The quiche Lorraine will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
No cheese?
So much butter!!
Real French quiches don’t have cheese! Years ago some chef decided to add Gruyere to it, but traditionally in France, there is no cheese in a quiche.
Thanks for letting us know Chef Karen. We do really enjoy a cheesy quiche, but if you have any quiche recipe recommendation that doesn’t include any cheese or if you’d like to submit a quiche recipe for us to publish under your name, feel free to send it our way!