Perfect for festive buffets at home over the Christmas period, this French classic is great served hot or cold
Ingredients
250 grams of aged Comté or strong cheddar
100 ml of milk
200 ml double cream
Fresh ground black pepper & sea salt
1 teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme
200 grams of lardons/pancetta
5 eggs, beaten plus 1 egg yolk
1 sheet of ready made shortcrust pastry
Originating for the Lorraine region of France (the region surrounding Strasbourg); a classic quiche Lorraine contains no cheese, it was more of a savoury bacon & custard tart. Gruyere was later added to make the quiche Lorraine we know today… I prefer to use an aged (12 or 18 month) Comté and many recipes suggest a strong cheddar.
Heat your oven to 180c Line your quiche/tart dish with the pastry, cover with baking paper and fill will baking beans. Blind bake for 20 mins, remove the beans & baking paper and then brush the pastry case with a beaten egg yolk (this stops the pasty becoming soggy when the liquid is added) – bake for a further 5-6 mins until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 160c.
Whilst the pastry case is cooling, cook off your lardon/pancetta, drain on some kitchen paper and allow to cool; beat the eggs, season and then whisk in the milk & cream; grate your chosen cheese.
Place the grated cheese evenly on the bottom of your pastry case; sprinkle over the lardons/pancetta and then pour over the egg/cream mixture. Pop back in the oven and back until set (around 35-40 mins).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from your baking dish (a lot of recipes suggest trimming the excess pastry whilst still in the baking dish – it does look neater for sure, however sometimes rustic works equally well!)
Personally, I prefer my quiche cold with a nice side salad. To re-heat (either whole or in slices) heat your oven to 180c and place on a lined baking tray for around 15 mins.
Bon Appétit !