Food and drink

Sunday Supper: Quiche Lorraine recipe

By Chris Barber
October 28, 2009

A creamy quiche is perfect for a late Sunday meal says Chris Barber

It is a great mistake to overlook some of the classic culinary greats in favour of new fangled experiments that often look better than they taste.

Quiche is one of those dishes that is often mocked and derided; ‘real men don’t eat quiche’ being a common phrase in the 80s.

I am not sure whether it is the metrosexual male cooks, or our leaning in general to ‘grand mere cuisine’, but something has triggered a resurgence in the popularity of quiche, dare I say it, even a touch of ‘cool’ is now associated.

What could be better after a filling Sunday lunch, than a light supper, and a warm quiche with a simple mixed salad is the perfect choice.

Another great thing about quiche is that once made, you can take a slice off for lunch, dinner, or a snack as and when required.

It is a great fridge filler, although in my house the weekend quiche rarely survives into the week.

The classic quiche has to be the Quiche Lorraine, although you can tinker with the basic recipe and put your own touch to the dish.

This recipe comes straight from our man from Lorraine; The Castle head chef Jerome Leopold is a native of the region, and as you read this he will be back in his homeland to do the honourable thing and marry his long-time partner, and manager at The Castle, Dawn.

Fear not, he will return, but in the meantime have a go at this recipe for a real flavour of France.

As mentioned, perfect for a Sunday supper, a quiche is versatile enough to fit most meals, and can be enjoyed hot, warm or cold.

Quiche Lorraine

Short crust pastry:

200g plain flour
100g unsalted butter
50ml cold water
1 free range egg
pinch of salt

Custard:

150ml double cream or crème fraiche
150ml milk
3 free range eggs
salt, pepper
nutmeg

Filling:

75g sautéed, smoked bacon lardons
100g grated Gruyere cheese

Make the pastry by rubbing in the butter to the flour, bind together with the egg and water.

Be careful not to overwork the pastry, this will make it shrink when baking.

Roll out the pastry and line an 8” flan ring, line again with a circle of greaseproof paper, and weigh down with baking beans. Blind bake the pastry in a medium hot oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the paper and beans (these can be recycled for the next quiche or tart).

Meanwhile, cut the smoked bacon into strips, or lardons, and sauté in a hot pan until golden.

Fill the pastry case with the lardons and grated Gruyere. Whisk together the eggs, milk and cream, add the seasoning and pour carefully into the case.

A good tip is to place the pastry into the oven, and pour in the mixture to the top of the case. It is much easier than trying to move a filled to the brim quiche from kitchen surface to oven; a spillage is bound to happen.

In a medium hot oven, bake the quiche until the custard has just set.

Remove from the oven, the custard will continue to cook for a few more minutes, but will not overcook.

The texture of the quiche should be soft and unctuous – overcooking is a disaster that leads to a split, watery and eggy custard; not good.

Allow the custard to cool, and carefully lift the quiche on to a cooling wire. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.

Serve with mixed leaves for a light supper, or serve with baked potatoes for a more filling feast.

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