Easy French Quiche Lorraine: A Versatile Delight

What is Quiche Lorraine? Quiche Lorraine is a savory French pie typically made with eggs, cream, cheese, and bacon/ham in an open pastry shell. Any kind of quiche is great for any meal and is perfect to take on a picnic.

Quiche Lorraine.Photo byDa Vinci App / Colorado Martini

Quiche has been a mainstay in my family for decades. If I have some vegetables, meat, or cheese I am trying to use up, I throw it into a quiche. My family enjoys it every time. In my household, we have some who are vegetarian, gluten-free, and meat-eating. With quiches, I can easily make three pies to cater to each person’s needs. Simply by putting their special ingredients into a pie shell and ladle the custard mixture over the ingredients. Gluten-free pie shells can usually be found in the frozen section of grocery stores.

“Real Men Don't Eat Quiche” was a 1982 best-selling tongue-in-cheek book mocking stereotypes of masculinity by the American screenwriter and humorist Bruce Feirstein.

Quiche's origins are unclear, but it's believed to have originated in the medieval German kingdom of Lotharingia, which covered parts of France, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The word "quiche" may come from the German word Kuchen, which means "cake."

Quiche’s earliest recognizable ancestors may have been baked cheesecakes from ancient Rome or medieval Europe. A "coffyn", was a pastry filled with eggs, cream, and meat or fruit.

There are many varieties of quiche. You can mix it up with different vegetables, meat, or cheese. But the basic custard recipe for the filling is cream/milk, cheese, eggs, and salt. Then you can add whatever solids you prefer. No matter how I make it, I always add a pinch or two of nutmeg. It adds a unique flavor to the custard liquid. Some ingredient variations I have tried are chorizo, broccoli, carrots artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, Swiss cheese, feta, cheddar, and more. You can get as creative as you want.

Today we are going to make Quiche Lorraine. I like to use ham and bacon in my recipe. But you can use one or both. I also prefer to use Swiss cheese, milk, and nutmeg. You use the same type of pie shell as you would for an open-faced fruit/cream pie. I used to make my pie shells from scratch (best). But as a working mother, I use frozen pie shells. I usually buy three shells: gluten-free and regular. If you are a vegetarian, make sure lard or eggs are not an ingredient in the shell. I also love to sauté my diced ham in a little butter. I love the flavor and texture of sautéed ham.

Have you ever had quiche or have a great recipe you would like to share? Let us know in the comments.

Easy Quiche Lorraine

• 1–9-inch unbaked pastry shell (deep dish)
• 8 slices bacon, crumbled
• ½ cup cooked ham, diced
• 1 tablespoon onions, sautéed (optional)
• Custard filling
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 tablespoon flour (omit for gluten-free or add 1 T gluten-free flour)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Dash nutmeg
• 1 ½ cups Swiss cheese, shredded
• ½ cup Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese shredded
• Some extra cheese to sprinkle on top of quiche (optional)

1. Bake pastry shell in 450°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325°F. Do not overcook.
2. In the hot pie shell, layer bacon/ham and onions (if using) on the bottom of the shell. Place the shell into a rimmed baking sheet. This will prevent spillage from burning in your oven.
3. Custard: in a large bowl, with a whisk, beat eggs. Add flour and beat well. Add milk, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in cheese.
4. ladle custard mixture over meat mixture. Leave room for expansion of liquid as it cooks. To prevent overcooking the shell’s crust rim, you can line the rim of the pastry shell with foil. I use adjustable silicone pie crust shields for this process. (see liners)
5. Place the rimmed baking sheet holding the quiche into the oven. Optional water bath method for a creamer custard, add some water to the rimmed baking sheet. At least a cup of water or more. Depending on the height of the rimmed side. The water is surrounding the pie like a bath. In other words, the quiche is sitting in the water bath and you are keeping the water out of your quiche.
6. Cook for 40-45 minutes or until a clean and dry butter knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the pie. This method tests to see if the custard is solid. If the custard does not look solid continue cooking. It should have a stiffness to it.
7. Remove the crust liners and add some optional cheese on top of the quiche. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

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Reference

• National Geographic
• Wikipedia