How to Make Quiche Lorraine

Name: Quiche Lorraine
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed; 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water; 6 slices bacon (about 6 ounces), diced; 1 small onion, diced; 3 large eggs; 1 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup whole milk; 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; Salt and pepper, to taste

Quiche Lorraine is an open faced French tart made from a buttery pastry shell filled with a custard of eggs, cream, and smoky bacon, baked until just set. You make it by blind baking the crust first, then pouring in the egg and cream mixture with cooked bacon and baking again until the center barely jiggles.

The dish comes from Lorraine, a region in northeastern France near the German border, where it started as a simple open pie filled with eggs, cream, and lardons long before cheese was added anywhere near it. Traditional Lorraine versions skip the Gruyere entirely, though most modern kitchens, including this one, add a little because it is very good.

It's a dish built for lunch, brunch, or a light dinner with a green salad, and it travels well, which is part of why it spread far past its home region.

French quiche lorraine, sliced egg and bacon tart

What Actually Matters

Blind baking the crust fully before the filling goes in is the one step people skip and regret. If you pour a wet custard into a raw or half baked shell, you get a soggy bottom no amount of baking time fixes afterward. Bake the empty shell with weights until it's actually light gold, not just pale, before you add anything.

The Recipe

Serves 4. Prep time: 25 minutes. Cook time: 55 minutes. Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes (includes chilling).

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
6 slices bacon (about 6 ounces), diced
1 small onion, diced
3 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Combine flour and salt, cut in the cold butter until pea sized, then add ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Chill 30 minutes.
Roll the dough and fit it into a 9 inch tart pan. Chill 15 minutes, then blind bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes with pie weights. Remove the weights and bake 5 more minutes until light gold.
Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp, remove it, then cook the onion in the rendered fat until soft.
Whisk the eggs, cream, milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper together.
Scatter the bacon, onion, and Gruyere over the baked crust, then pour the egg mixture over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes, until set with a slight jiggle in the center.
Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition (Per Serving, Estimated)

Calories	Protein	Fat	Carbs
520	16g	40g	22g

These values are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not lab verified figures.

Tips, Variations, and Storage

Swiss cheese or comte work fine in place of Gruyere. Add a handful of sauteed spinach or leeks for a variation. It keeps well covered in the refrigerator for up to three days, and reheats nicely at 300 degrees F for about 15 minutes. You can also freeze it baked or unbaked, well wrapped, for up to two months.