This is a classic quiche with bacon and Gruyère cheese. It’s a sophisticated and delicious choice for breakfast or lunch.
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This is a classic French dish, the Quiche Lorraine. Julia Child shared a recipe for Quiche Lorraine in her timeless Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
A basic quiche is simply a custard of eggs and cream in a pastry shell, usually in a tart pan. The Lorraine variation was created in the Lorraine region of France, and adds bacon (lardons, originally) and cheese like Gruyère or Swiss.
This may sound random, but Quiche Lorraine always makes me think of one, tiny scene in To Catch A Thief. It was a food scene so, you know – it caught my attention! When I taste Quiche Lorraine it reminds me of that scene, and of the sophisticated characters obsessed with jewels in the French Riviera.
The scene is when Cary Grant’s character, John Robie the thief has H.H. Hughson, played by John Williams, up to his villa for a visit. They discuss the lunch prepared for them by Robie’s housekeeper, Germaine.
Robie: “Quiche Lorraine, you’ll enjoy this.”
Hughson: “It’s wonderful. The pastry is as light as air!”
Robie: “Germaine has sensitive hands, an exceedingly light touch.”
Hughson: “I can tell.”
Robie: “She strangled a German general once – without a sound.“
Hughson: “. . . extraordinary woman.”
And now back to the food.
Why you’ll love this quiche
The pastry shell is made with my Perfect all-Butter Pie Crust. It’s delicious ad flaky, a perfect vessel to hold the savory quiche filling. The pie crust dough recipe is here and can be made in advance.
The quiche is delectable, full of shallots, bacon and cheese. It’s just delicious for a savory breakfast or brunch, and it can be made ahead. Make it the day before and reheat it for the meal. It can even be frozen!
How to make this quiche
Step 1: Prepare the tart shell
Have the Perfect 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.
Step 2: Cook the bacon and shallots
While the tart shell chills, cook up first the diced bacon, and then the shallots. Combine the two and hold them aside.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Mix the egg batter
Blend together the eggs, spices, milk and half & half.
Step 5: 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.
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.
When the quiche comes out it looks like this: lightly browned, eggs perfectly set and the whole thing quite fragrant!
The recipe for this classy and tasty Quiche Lorraine is below. Here are some other Make-Ahead Breakfasts you can consider!
>> How do you like this quiche? Scroll down to leave a comment for me, and a star rating!
Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
- 1/2 recipe All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe
- 8 strips bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 shallots, diced (2 shallots is about 4 ounces, and when diced will yield about 1/2 cup.)
- 1-1/2 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
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 cup milk
Instructions
Prepare the tart shell:
- Have ready a 10-1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out the All Butter Pie Crust Dough on a lightly floured surface, to a diameter of about 13 inches, and the dough should be about 1/4-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, saute 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 saute 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 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 2 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge and then reheat it at 350° F.
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.
I want to try this!
I think you guys would love this quiche, so tasty!