Quiiiiche, quiche Lorraine
Quiche is one of my favorite foods, both to make and eat, for a variety of reasons. It's very versatile; you can throw pretty much anything into one. Bacon, onions, & cheese for a traditional Lorraine (which reminds me of my first concert and this classic), mushrooms for something a little earthier, spinach & feta if you want something a little more Med.
Quiche is basically a big ol' slut... 😉
It's also one of the foods I've been making the longest. My mom showed me how to take a pre-made, frozen pie crust, toss a few ingredients in, whisk up some eggs and cream and throw it into the oven for 30-45 minutes, and Voilà! Dinner for a gaggle of ravenous kids (or an apartment full of college students, or an impromptu dinner party, or...just little ol' me with leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day). Anyone who's ever been a regular at my table has had it at least once.
However, a year or so ago I made a discovery that has completely changed my quiche game; Michael Ruhlman's* fairly easy recipe for pate brisee based on simple a simple 3-2-1 ratio of flour, fat, and water. I always use butter for the fat and, good lord, does it make for a delicious, golden crust that's perfect for a quiche. It's also perfect for making a deeper dish pie, which allows your egg/cream mix to develop a delightful velvety custard-like texture which just melts in the mouth. You can also use this recipe for any savory or sweet pie or tart.
I use it fairly regularly and mix up the ingredients for variety. My favorite combo includes bacon, onions caramelized in the grease, and shredded Gruyère.
*Ruhlman's book, Ratio, is a great addition to your kitchen library.
Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
For crust:
12 oz all-purpose flour (I've also subbed whole wheat)
8 oz unsalted cubed butter (straight from the fridge)
4 oz very cold water
For filling:
6-8 large eggs
2oz heavy cream (you can sub any non-dairy milk, but the texture will be less velvety)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 medium onion, diced
8oz bacon, diced (I generally use pancetta)
8 oz Gruyère, shredded
salt & pepper to taste
Method
I always start with the crust, because you can prep the other ingredients while the crust is refrigerating or blind baking.
Preheat your oven to 180C or 350F.
Measure the flour into a large mixing bowl. At Ruhlman's suggestion, I bought a kitchen scale for this step. I pour in the flour, zero it out, and then add the butter.** Begin mixing the flour and butter together first. You can begin adding the water incrementally once the butter/flour mixture begins to look like pea-ish. Sounds weird, but you'll know what I mean when you see it. Also, just add enough water to the mix to pull the ingredients together. Remove the dough and form into two disks. Wrap these in plastic wrap and pop them into the fridge for 10-15 minutes (You can also take one and stick it in the freezer for another day). Throughout this process, you don't want to over-handle the dough causing the butter to soften too much because it will make your dough tough (oh, English, you make no sense...).
While the dough is refrigerating, heat a medium-sized cast iron skillet (any other will do) over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté until done to your liking. I prefer mine to be "flaccid", 4-5 minutes, but I know plenty who prefer theirs crisp. Remove and set aside for later.
Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until brown. 15-20 minutes.
While the onion is cooking, remove the dough from the fridge. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll it out until it's about 1/2cm thick. Place the crust into a parchment or foil lined 9" springform pan. The edges should drape over the top; you can trim them if you'd like a nice, tidy looking quiche, or leave them artfully long. Prick the bottom with a fork and then add pie weights or any dried beans. I use beans wrapped in foil that look sort of like a giant Hershey's Kiss. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove the weights and then continue baking until the bottom is cooked through.
While the crust is baking, thoroughly whisk your eggs, cream, and Dijon together in a large mixing bowl.
When the crust is done, remove from the oven and layer the bacon, onions and Gruyère in the bottom. and crack a little black pepper over them. Evenly pour the egg mixture over this.
Bake for another 35-45 minutes or until the egg mixture is golden brown and firm to the touch.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Now for variations: Again, any ingredients work. I'll include photos of a few recents. I've also started halving one disk and then baking the resulting two smaller crusts in individual-sized casserole dishes for personal quiches.
**I used to do this by hand, which isn't very difficult, but it means that I have to stay focused on the mixing, so I splurged last summer and bought a Bosch stand mixer. What a great investment! The Bosch substitute for a paddle attachment does a great job of mixing the flour and butter, freeing me to do other prep work and/or clean.
Quiche is basically a big ol' slut... 😉
It's also one of the foods I've been making the longest. My mom showed me how to take a pre-made, frozen pie crust, toss a few ingredients in, whisk up some eggs and cream and throw it into the oven for 30-45 minutes, and Voilà! Dinner for a gaggle of ravenous kids (or an apartment full of college students, or an impromptu dinner party, or...just little ol' me with leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day). Anyone who's ever been a regular at my table has had it at least once.
However, a year or so ago I made a discovery that has completely changed my quiche game; Michael Ruhlman's* fairly easy recipe for pate brisee based on simple a simple 3-2-1 ratio of flour, fat, and water. I always use butter for the fat and, good lord, does it make for a delicious, golden crust that's perfect for a quiche. It's also perfect for making a deeper dish pie, which allows your egg/cream mix to develop a delightful velvety custard-like texture which just melts in the mouth. You can also use this recipe for any savory or sweet pie or tart.
I use it fairly regularly and mix up the ingredients for variety. My favorite combo includes bacon, onions caramelized in the grease, and shredded Gruyère.
*Ruhlman's book, Ratio, is a great addition to your kitchen library.
Quiche Lorraine
Ingredients
For crust:
12 oz all-purpose flour (I've also subbed whole wheat)
8 oz unsalted cubed butter (straight from the fridge)
4 oz very cold water
For filling:
6-8 large eggs
2oz heavy cream (you can sub any non-dairy milk, but the texture will be less velvety)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 medium onion, diced
8oz bacon, diced (I generally use pancetta)
8 oz Gruyère, shredded
salt & pepper to taste
Method
I always start with the crust, because you can prep the other ingredients while the crust is refrigerating or blind baking.
Preheat your oven to 180C or 350F.
Measure the flour into a large mixing bowl. At Ruhlman's suggestion, I bought a kitchen scale for this step. I pour in the flour, zero it out, and then add the butter.** Begin mixing the flour and butter together first. You can begin adding the water incrementally once the butter/flour mixture begins to look like pea-ish. Sounds weird, but you'll know what I mean when you see it. Also, just add enough water to the mix to pull the ingredients together. Remove the dough and form into two disks. Wrap these in plastic wrap and pop them into the fridge for 10-15 minutes (You can also take one and stick it in the freezer for another day). Throughout this process, you don't want to over-handle the dough causing the butter to soften too much because it will make your dough tough (oh, English, you make no sense...).
While the dough is refrigerating, heat a medium-sized cast iron skillet (any other will do) over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté until done to your liking. I prefer mine to be "flaccid", 4-5 minutes, but I know plenty who prefer theirs crisp. Remove and set aside for later.
Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until brown. 15-20 minutes.
While the onion is cooking, remove the dough from the fridge. On a surface lightly dusted with flour, roll it out until it's about 1/2cm thick. Place the crust into a parchment or foil lined 9" springform pan. The edges should drape over the top; you can trim them if you'd like a nice, tidy looking quiche, or leave them artfully long. Prick the bottom with a fork and then add pie weights or any dried beans. I use beans wrapped in foil that look sort of like a giant Hershey's Kiss. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn golden brown. Remove the weights and then continue baking until the bottom is cooked through.
While the crust is baking, thoroughly whisk your eggs, cream, and Dijon together in a large mixing bowl.
When the crust is done, remove from the oven and layer the bacon, onions and Gruyère in the bottom. and crack a little black pepper over them. Evenly pour the egg mixture over this.
Bake for another 35-45 minutes or until the egg mixture is golden brown and firm to the touch.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Now for variations: Again, any ingredients work. I'll include photos of a few recents. I've also started halving one disk and then baking the resulting two smaller crusts in individual-sized casserole dishes for personal quiches.
**I used to do this by hand, which isn't very difficult, but it means that I have to stay focused on the mixing, so I splurged last summer and bought a Bosch stand mixer. What a great investment! The Bosch substitute for a paddle attachment does a great job of mixing the flour and butter, freeing me to do other prep work and/or clean.
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