A savory tart worth creating at home, a quiche Lorraine offers a complete and satisfying meal. It provides a tasty alternative, whether the occasion is a special holiday or a midday snack.
With its light custard base and sprinkling of thick-cut bacon, this spectacular quiche is easy to prepare. In its puffed, buttery crust, it makes an elegant dish when paired with a green salad and a glass of wine.
The components of a quiche are simple, consisting of a custard (cream and eggs) baked in a round pastry shell with a variety of fillings. Among numerous filling options, cheese, vegetables, meat and seafood are frequently used.
Quiches are prepared in shallow tart pans with straight, fluted sides. Available in metal, glass and ceramic, tart pans range in size from 4 inches (for a single serving) to 12 inches in diameter.
Among the classic quiche variations, quiche Lorraine is the most universally recognized. Hailing from the Lorraine region in northeastern France, this savory quiche traditionally includes only bacon, eggs and cream.
It is sometimes made with cheese, usually Gruyere. Quiche Alsacienne, a variation of the classic quiche Lorraine, is made with onions. But traditional favorites are not the only quiches to enjoy – create your own with other delicious and flavorful combinations of ingredients.
To prepare a quiche, the crust needs to be prebaked, a term known as “blind baking.” To blind bake means to bake an unfilled pie or tart shell, partially or fully, before adding the filling.
Quiche pastry shells are partially prebaked because the time required to bake the filling is not long enough to fully bake the crust.
Another trick to creating the perfect quiche is the use of pie weights.
“Pie weights are commonly used during blind baking to prevent the bottom of the crust from bubbling up and the sides from collapsing or sliding down during baking.” said Ryan Baxter, associate professor in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America.
Traditionally, large, whole dried beans (such as white beans) were used as weights and placed inside the raw pies shell during baking to prevent collapsing and bubbling.
A circle of cut parchment paper was first placed on the dough to allow for easy removal of the hot beans after baking.
Although many chefs keep a bucket of dried beans on hand for this task, alternative types of pie weights can be purchased at specialty kitchen stores and through most kitchen-supply Web sites.
The following recipe is from “Cooking at Home With The Culinary Institute of America.”
Quiche Lorraine
11/3cups all-purpose flour
1/2teaspoon salt
1/2cup shortening
4slices thick-cut bacon
1tablespoon unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1 1/2cups heavy cream
3large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
For the crust, combine the flour and salt. Cut the shortening into the flour using a fork, a pastry cutter, or two knives, until the mixture resembles extremely coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons cold water and quickly stir together into a lumpy mass with a fork. Do not overwork the dough.
Form into a disk, wrap well and chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes before rolling the dough into an 11-inch round on a floured surface. Fold the round in half and gently place in a 9-inch quiche-tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Unfold the round and press gently into the pan without stretching the dough.
To prebake the crust, line the dough with waxed or parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until the crust is set and dry, but not browned, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the weights and paper.
Saute the bacon in the butter over medium heat until browned and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Whisk together the cream and eggs until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble the bacon evenly over the crust. Add the egg mixture gradually, stirring it with a fork to distribute the bacon evenly.
Place the quiche pan on a baking sheet and bake until a knife blade inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Makes one 9-inch quiche; 8 servings. Per 31/2-ounce serving: 380 calories, 4 grams protein, 19 grams carbohydrate, 34 grams fat, 290 mg sodium.
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