Quiche Lorraine
The classic from Lorraine, France: a crisp pastry shell filled with smoky bacon and a silky egg-and-cream custard, baked until just set.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C for . Meanwhile, take the pastry out of the fridge so it does not crack when you unroll it.
ovenLightly butter a 18 cm tart tin (one with a removable base is easiest). Lay the pastry in the tin and press it firmly into the base and the corners with your fingers, then trim it, leaving about 5 mm above the rim. Prick the base all over with a fork every 2 cm and chill the tin in the fridge for .
Add in this stepButter (for the tin) 5 gReady-rolled shortcrust pastry (chilled) 140 g
Cover the pastry with baking paper and fill it to the top with dried beans or rice. Bake in the oven at 200°C for . Lift out the paper and beans and bake for another , until the base looks dry and pale golden. This blind baking keeps the bottom from turning soggy.
ovenCut the bacon into 1 cm strips and put them in a dry 20 cm frying pan over medium heat. Cook for , until plenty of fat has melted out and the edges are lightly golden (not crisp), then drain on paper towel.
Add in this stepSmoked bacon, thick-cut or slab (lardons) 110 g
medium heatCrack the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork or whisk until no streaks of white remain, without whipping in a lot of froth. Add the cream, milk, nutmeg, pepper and salt and mix well. Use very little salt, because the bacon is already salty.
Add in this stepEggs 2Heavy cream (double cream) 110 mlWhole milk 100 mlGround nutmeg 1 pinchBlack pepper 1 pinchSalt (just a little) 1 pinch
Turn the oven down to 180°C. Scatter the bacon evenly over the pastry, set the tin on a baking tray and pour in the custard to 3 mm below the rim. Bake for , until the top is puffed and golden and only the very centre wobbles slightly when you nudge the tin.
ovenLeave the quiche on a wire rack for so the custard settles and slices cleanly. Serve warm with a green salad.
Cook's tip
A true quiche Lorraine has no cheese, but you can scatter 30 to 60 g of grated Gruyère over the bacon if you like. If the custard looks close to overflowing, put the tin in the oven first and pour in the last few spoonfuls there. When a knife pushed into the centre comes out without runny egg, it is done.
Cooking it at camp
Without an oven, the surest way is to bake it at home, keep it in the cooler and reheat slices in a lidded cast-iron pan lined with baking paper over low heat for about 10 minutes. With a Dutch oven and coals on the lid, you can bake the custard and bacon on their own as a crustless quiche.