Featuring eggs as a main dish is smart. They’re economical, versatile and nutrient-dense. Go beyond the basic scramble and learn how to make quiche Lorraine, the most famous quiche of them all.
What Is Quiche Lorraine?
While Lorraine is the region in France that took the basic quiche and made it famous, this region kisses the edge of Germany—the history of quiche Lorraine crosses borders. The word “quiche” actually comes from the German word for cake, kuchen, as it is essentially an open-face, savory cake.
Quiches typically have a single crust on the sides and bottom, filled with a creamy egg filling and flavored with cheese. While a quiche’s additional ingredients are flexible (think all sorts of vegetables and meat), a quiche Lorraine is simply bacon, cheese and onions.
How to Make Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
- Dough for single-crust deep-dish pie
- 1 package (12 ounces) thick-sliced bacon strips
- 3 large sweet onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1-1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of salt
Tools You’ll Need
Directions
Step 1: Roll out the crust
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 14-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan or deep fluted quiche pan with a removable bottom. Press firmly against bottom and sides. Chill while preparing filling.
Step 2: Cook the bacon
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, flipping once. Remove and drain on paper towels. When cool, coarsely crumble. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of drippings.
Step 3: Add the onions
Add onions to drippings and cook over medium heat until soft and beginning to turn golden. (If you have the time, caramelize the onions. This adds a lot of sweet flavor and will take about 30 minutes.) Add thyme, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from the heat and let cool.
Heat oven to 350°F.
Step 4: Whisk the eggs
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, cream and salt. Stir in cheeses and reserved bacon and pour into crust.
Step 5: Bake
Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 75-85 minutes until the center is puffy and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, loosen the sides with a knife and remove rim from pan. Let stand an additional 5 minutes before cutting. You can serve slices warm or at room temperature.
Tips for Making Quiche Lorraine
What’s the secret to the best quiche Lorraine?
Amazing cheese! The easiest way to add flavor to your quiche is by investing in good cheese. Buy a wedge or block and grate it yourself. While the traditional quiche Lorraine calls for Gruyere and Parmesan, get creative here. Go American (more specifically, Wisconsin) and try Uplands Cheese Company’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve for the Gruyere and Landmark Creamery’s Pecora Nocciola for the Parmesan. Or use an aged Swiss or Emmenthaler for a nutty flavor, or a sharp cheddar.
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
If you choose to replace the cream with more whole milk, it will be less rich and the texture will be different. Using skim or low-fat milk will also impact flavor and texture.
Can I use premade crust?
Making pie crust is easier than people think, but don’t let a fear of making scratch pie crust stop you from making quiche. Buy a high quality pie crust (look for butter in the ingredients).
To make a deep dish pie crust, it is best to use two single crusts placed on top of one another and roll them out to fit the pan. There will be extra that can be trimmed (cut into fun shapes, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar), but the alternative is rolling out a single pie crust too thin and it may shrink during baking, tear or burn.
After making or fitting a pie crust into a springform pan, chill for at least 15 minutes, or overnight.
Can I leave a quiche out overnight?
It is best to refrigerate a quiche after baking as ingredients include milk, cheese, meat and eggs. Quiche may be served chilled, room temperature or cover in foil and gently rewarm in oven.
Can I freeze quiche?
A cooked quiche may be tightly wrapped and frozen up to a month.
The post How to Make the Best Quiche Lorraine appeared first on Taste of Home.
Anna Thomas Bates