Taste of Lorraine

G'day Soufflé 

Quiche Lorraine - Back to the French Basics

Author: Adapted from Le Cordon Bleu recipe

Recipe type: Lunch or Dinner

Cuisine: French

Serves: 8

 

Quiche Lorraine recipe using the authentic French techniques for preparing the pastry dough.

Ingredients

• Shortcrust Pastry
• 200 g flour
• 100 g cold butter
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp cold water (more, if required)
• Filling
• 180 g smoked speck bacon, cut into cubes
• 100 g Gruyère cheese, grated
• 3 eggs
• 125 ml thickened cream
• 125 ml whole milk
• Salt, pepper
• Nutmeg

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 C.
2. In a large bowl, add 200 grams of flour. Cut 100 grams of cold butter into small cubes then add to flour mixture. Rub the butter and flour between the palms of your hands until it becomes like sand.
3. Make a well in centre of the flour mixture- add the egg into well and stir; add the cold water a little at a time.
4. Form the dough into a ball and then push the dough out away from you on the countertop, using the palm of your hand (le fraisage). Cover the dough with plastic and place in fridge for 15 – 30 minutes.
5. Roll-out the dough making occasional quarter turns- leave 2 cm margin larger than the quiche mould.
6. Drape the dough over the mould leaving the 2 cm margin- gently push the dough down to fit the shape of the mould. Prick bottom of crust with a fork.
7. To blind bake the dough:
8. Place parchment paper inside of mould and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove pie weights and let dough cool.
9. Remove rind and cartilage from the bacon slab- cut into small cubes . Slightly brown the bacon bits with a little butter, over medium high heat and then drain on kitchen paper.
10. Grate the Gruyère cheese and place it on bottom of baked quiche dough, then add the bacon bits.
11. Prepare the filling: beat 3 eggs together, then add the cream, milk, salt and pepper to the mixture. Add this to the cooked quiche dough then top with a little more of the grated cheese.
12. Bake for 30-40 minutes – quiche should be light brown ‘biscuit colour.’
13. Let the quiche cool then remove the bottom from the quiche tin.
14. Place chopped parsley garnish on top of quiche and several small pieces of bacon- this will also serve to identify the type of quiche you have just made.