Quiche Lorraine

Hailing from the mountainous region of Lorraine in northern France, quiche Lorraine is traditionally made with just eggs, crème fraîche and bacon. It began as a humble egg-and-bacon pie but has evolved to a more refined open tart. Some of the crème fraîche has been replaced with milk in this tart to make it slightly less rich and more suited our modern palates.

Yield: 8 Total Time: 60

Ingredients

• 1 x shortcrust pastry
• 200 g bacon rashers, trimmed and chopped
• 3 eggs
• 250 ml crème fraîche
• 125 ml milk
• freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste

Instructions

Chilling time 20 minutes Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).

Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a disc about 3 mm thick. Line a 3.5 cm deep x 24 cm diameter (base measurement) tart tin with removable base with the pastry, pressing it into the tin with your fingers.

Trim any overhanging pastry by rolling the rolling pin over the top of the tin.

Place the tart tin on a baking tray and place in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes. Line the pastry shell with foil and fill with blind baking beads or dried rice or beans.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove the foil and beads and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is pale golden and cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a frying pan over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring often, or until starting to become crisp.

Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

Sprinkle the cooked tart case with the bacon. Whisk together the eggs, crème fraîche and milk. Season well with pepper and a pinch of salt.

Pour into the tart case and bake for 40 minutes or until the filling is just set in the centre. Stand the quiche in the tin for 5 minutes before removing and serving warm or at room temperature.

Baker’s tips

This quiche will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature or reheat on a lined oven tray in an oven preheated to 160°C (140°C fan-forced) for 10-15 minutes or until just heated through.

Variations

Quiche Alsacienne Cook 1 brown onion, chopped, in 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat for 5-8 minutes before cooking the bacon. Sprinkle over the pastry base with the bacon.

Quiche au Gruyère Sprinkle 75 g (3/4 cup loosely packed) coarsely grated Gruyère cheese over the bacon in the tart case before adding the egg mixture.