A quiche Lorraine is a great recipe to have in your arsenal of go-to recipes and is one of the most simplest, yet delicious quiches you can ever make.
The quiche originates from a small town in France, called Lorraine, and can be served hot or cold, making it great for when you have guests over for dinner, or perfect to take with you to a picnic - just remember to pre-slice it before you leave home for easy serving.
A quiche Lorraine typically contains ham and cheese, and is baked into a shortcrust pastry case until it's just set (it's ultimately a savoury baked custard!). You can add some herbs if you like (finely chopped chive is lovely), or even add a spoonful of wholegrain mustard for a little acidity.
extra crispy bacon and fried spring onions to garnish
Directions
Step 1
To make the pastry, place the flour in a food processor with a pinch of salt and the chilled diced butter. Process until mixture resembles fine crumbs; add the egg and 15ml (1tbsp) water. Process until the mixture begins to come together; turn out on to a lightly floured worksurface and knead lightly until just smooth. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30min.
Step 2
Roll pastry out thinly; line a 3cm deep, 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the base; bake blind at 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 15min. Remove paper and baking beans; return to oven for 10min or until pale golden and cooked to the centre.
Step 3
Meanwhile, lightly whisk the eggs for the filling. Use a little to brush the inside of the pastry case and return it to the oven for 5min to seal any cracks.
Step 4
Finely chop the shallots. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the shallots and cook for 1min. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until brown.
Step 5
Mix eggs with the crème fraîche and Gruyère; season. Place bacon mixture in the pastry case; spoon crème fraîche mixture on top (see Cook's Tips). Cook at 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5 for 30-35min or until golden and just set. Cool for 10min before serving. Garnish with fried bacon and spring onions.
Step 6
Prepare ahead. Complete recipe. Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two days. To serve. Warm at 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 5min.
Step 7
To freeze. Complete the recipe, then cool, wrap and freeze. To serve. Thaw at cool room temperature overnight; warm at 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6 for 10min.
GH Tip
It’s best to buy one thick rasher of unsmoked streaky bacon from the butcher. Fill the pastry case as full as possible. You may find you have a little mixture left as flan tins vary in size.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
