This is a classic French quiche with bacon and Gruyère cheese in a buttery pastry crust. Quiche Lorraine is a sophisticated and a très delicious choice for breakfast or lunch.
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We do so love a quiche, don't we? It's a favorite, savory dish that's satisfying any time of day. Quiche has a bit of sophistication to it. (it's a French dish, after all!) That means it's an impressive creation you can serve to guests or bring to a party.
And yet, quiche is also a comfort food that you can enjoy all on your own, sitting in your coziest chair while still in pajamas.
One of the tastiest contributions to the quiche-scape is a classic Quiche Lorraine recipe.
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What is a Quiche Lorraine?
A basic quiche recipe is simply a custard of eggs and cream in a pastry shell, usually baked in a tart pan. It may contain meat, veggies, and herbs. Quiche Lorraine is a variation named for the place where it was created, the Northeastern region of Lorraine, France. Quiche Lorraine adds bacon (or lardons) and cheese like Gruyère or Swiss.
The egg base holds all these flavors and ingredients beautifully in a dish that's sophisticated, yet simple.
Quiche Lorraine has a cameo in this Hitchcock flick
For me, Quiche Lorraine always brings to mind a tiny scene in the Alfred Hitchcock movie, To Catch A Thief. It was a food scene so, you know—it caught my attention!
Cary Grant's jewelry thief character, John Robie invites insurance agent H.H. Hughson, played by John Williams, up to his hilltop, French Riviera villa for a visit. They discuss the lunch prepared for them by Robie's housekeeper, Germaine.
Robie: "This is a Quiche Lorraine, I think you'll enjoy this."
Hughson, eating it: "It's wonderful. The pastry is as light as air!"
Robie: "Ah, well Germaine has very sensitive hands, an exceedingly light touch."
Hughson: "Yes, I can tell."
Robie: "She strangled a German general once—without a sound."
Hughson, glancing over his shoulder nervously: ". . . extraordinary woman."
This French quiche was a favorite of The French Chef
Besides the movie connection, Quiche Lorraine makes me think of Julia Child, of course. She introduced Americans to this savory tart in her first cookbook, Mastering The Art of French Cooking published in 1961. Her advice was to, "serve it with a salad, hot French bread, and a cold, white wine."
Although Julia grew up in California and spent many years living in France, she and her husband Paul eventually made their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Because of this, and because her groundbreaking cooking show, The French Chef, debuted on Boston's WGBH television station in 1962, New Englanders think of Julia as one of their own.
The French Chef program ran for more than ten years. It turned Julia into a national icon and over the next three decades she boasted many more cookbooks and cooking shows. Julia also collaborated with some of the best chefs of our time including Jaques Pepin, Lidia Bastianich, and Nancy Silverton.
Just a few years before her death, Julia donated her entire Cambridge kitchen to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, where visitors can see the stove, knives, and pan-holding pegboard that she used daily while making her mark on culinary history.
Why you'll love this recipe
The quiche piecrust recipe is my Best-Loved Flaky Pie Crust. It's delicious and flaky, a perfect vessel to hold the savory quiche filling. You can even make the pie crust dough ahead of time and hold it in the fridge or freezer until it's quiche time.
A blend of shallots, bacon, and Gruyère cheese makes Quiche Lorraine quite delectable. It's just delicious for a savory breakfast or brunch, and it can be made in advance, too. Make it the day before and reheat it for your meal.
Comfort food!
Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Freeze them for easy meals down the road.
🔪 How to make Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients:
- Butter pie crust dough: The best-tasting pies, tarts, and quiches have an all-butter crust supporting the fillings. My recipe shows you how easy it is to make one.
- Bacon: Smoky, salty bacon (or lardons, as it's called in France) adds so much flavor to the quiche. It's diced and cooked up before going into the fillings.
- Shallots: Though quiche Lorraine doesn't always contain onion, I like the delicate onion flavor that sautééed shallots give the filling. It's especially delicious paired with the bacon.
- Gruyère cheese: A mild variety of Swiss cheese, Gruyère melts beautifully in the quiche.
- Eggs: You can't make a quiche without breaking a few eggs! Five large eggs, to be precise.
- Herbs and spices: Rounding out the flavor of this quiche are a few seasonings and spices: salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, and fresh or dried thyme.
- Milk and half-and-half: The creamy filling is made with these two ingredients, for a slightly lighter quiche than one made with heavy cream.
Prepare the tart shell
Have the All-Butter Pie Crust dough waiting in the fridge. Roll the dough out and fit it into the tart pan. Line it with plastic wrap and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Refrigerate the tart shell for 30 minutes.
Cook the bacon and shallots
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While the tart shell chills, cook up first the diced bacon, and then the shallots. Combine the two and hold them aside.
Blind bake the tart shell
Blind bake the tart shell first with the pie weights, and then for the last 10 minutes with the weights removed. Move it to a cooling rack.
Mix the egg batter
Blend together the eggs, spices, milk, and half & half.
Assemble and bake the quiche
Spread the bacon and shallots over the bottom of the tart shell, followed by a layer of the cheese. Pour the egg batter into the shell, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
Place the quiche in the preheated oven to bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set. Give the quiche about 15 minutes to cool before slicing and serving.
When the Quiche Lorraine comes out it looks like this: lightly browned, eggs perfectly set, and the whole thing quite fragrant!
FAQs
Yes, and this is just one of the many ways that this quiche is so versatile. You can serve it right from the oven while still warm, or let it cool to room temperature first. A refrigerated Quiche Lorraine can be warmed up before serving—or sliced and served while still chilled.
Yes, Quiche Lorraine can be made in advance—in fact, it's one of my favorite make-ahead breakfast recipes. Bake the quiche, let it cool, then wrap it tightly and store it in the fridge. In the recipe card below, there are instructions on how to reheat it—or you can enjoy it cold.
Yes, you can absolutely freeze Quiche Lorraine! Let it cool completely after baking, then wrap it well in plastic wrap. Place it on a level surface in your freezer; it can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. Allow the quiche to thaw in the refrigerator before reheating or serving.
Another quiche!
Carrot Quiche with Cheddar
Full of sweet carrots and savory cheese and onions.
Tips:
- This recipe is made with a metal tart pan with a removable bottom. If you choose to bake the quiche in a glass or ceramic pan, move the oven rack to a lower position to help the bottom crust bake through thoroughly.
The recipe for this classy, savory, and tasty Quiche Lorraine is below. Here are more Make-Ahead Breakfasts you'll love:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Quiche Lorraine
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Ingredients
The crust:
- ½ recipe All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe
The filling:
- 8 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 shallots, diced (2 shallots weigh about 4 ounces, and when diced will yield about ½ cup.)
- 1½ cups Gruyère cheese, shredded (or you can also use a good Swiss cheese)
- 5 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme, plus extra for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
Prepare the tart shell:
- Have ready a 10½-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out the Best-Loved Butter Pie Crust dough on a lightly floured surface, to a diameter of about 13 inches, and the dough should be about ¼-inch thick.
- Carefully move the dough to the tart pan and fit the dough into the pan: do not stretch the dough to make it fit. Instead, lift the edges of the dough to move it into position.
- Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pan. Roll your rolling pin over the top of the pan to shear off the excess dough, so that the dough just reaches to the top edge of the pan. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork several times.
- Line the pastry dough with foil and then fill the pan with pie weights or dry beans up to the edge. Drape a piece of plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate the pastry shell for 30 minutes.
Cook the bacon and shallots:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- While the dough is chilling, sauté the chopped bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until the bacon is browned and crispy. Remove the bacon and hold it aside. Drain off the fat, reserving 1 tablespoon of the fat.
- Return the skillet to the stovetop and add the reserved tablespoon of fat to the pan. Add in the chopped shallots, and sauté them over medium heat for about two minutes. They should soften fairly quickly.
- Remove the shallots from the pan and add them to the cooked bacon. Toss the two together.
Blind bake the tart shell:
- Remove the pastry shell from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. Bake the shell for 20 minutes.
- Take the pie shell out of the oven, and remove the beans and foil. Add a few more fork pricks to the bottom of the shell if it is puffing up, and then bake the shell for 10 minutes longer. Remove the tart pan to a cooling rack.
Assemble the quiche:
- Increase the oven temperature to 400° F.
- In a large bowl beat the eggs together with the thyme, salt, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Add in the half & half and milk, and whisk the mixture together thoroughly.
- Place the pan with the tart shell on a baking sheet. (This will make it easy to carry to the oven.) Spread the bacon and shallot mixture over the bottom of the tart shell and sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded Gruyère over this.
- Carefully pour in the egg-cream mixture to just below the edge of the crust. (You may have just a little more filling than you need, depending on how much your crust puffed up.) Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
- Place the baking sheet with the quiche in the oven on a rack positioned in the center. Bake the quiche for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 325° F and bake the quiche for another 30 minutes. It should be lightly browned in places and look set. You can test it with a knife inserted in the center if you want, and it should come out clean.
- Allow the quiche Lorraine to cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. You can also serve it at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.
- After baking the quiche can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can also be well-wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat:
- Allow the quiche to thaw in the fridge overnight. Cover the top with foil and place it in a 350° F oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.
Notes
- This recipe is based on using a metal tart pan with a removable bottom. If you choose to bake the quiche in a glass or ceramic pan, move the oven rack to a lower position to help the bottom crust bake through properly.
Nutrition
Ann says
I am excited to make this recipe in a tart pan. I have always used a pie glass dish in the past. I plan to make the quiche a couple of days ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. I see that your instructions say to reheat it at 350 degrees. Is that right out of the fridge? And for about how long? Thanks!!
Nancy Mock says
Hi Ann! I'm so happy that you're going to try my recipe. Yes, the reheating can happen with the quiche right from the fridge and should take 20 minutes or so to heat through. You can also pull it from the fridge a little ahead of time to lose some of its chill, so the reheating goes even faster. I added the reheat time to the recipe card. Let me know what you think of the quiche!
Dan says
Mr first quiche ever. Thanks for the upload! *twerks it*
Nancy Mock says
Hi Dan, Congrats and I'm honored that you chose my recipe for your first quiche. A quiche is so versatile, a great dish to make for lots of occasions. Thank you for this awesome feedback! -Nancy
Heidi says
I want to try this!
Nancy Mock says
I think you guys would love this quiche, so tasty!