The CAB Recipe: Quiche Lorraine

A recent reading of Jeff Smith's comic epic, Bone, inspired this week's classic recipe of Quiche Lorraine. In the comic, two monsters (refered to as "rat creatures") repeatedly discuss turning the heroes of the story into a quiche, and while we'd never want to see a quiche made of Fone, Phoney, or Smilely Bone, the quiche lorraine does quite well with bacon and eggs. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner, this light, yet savory custard, is quick to prepare and can be made far in advance of your meal.

Ingredients:

For the pastry crust:

• 8 oz flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 8 tablespoons chilled, cubed butter
• 6 tablespoons cold water
• large pinch of sea salt

For the custard:

• 8 oz slab bacon, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teapoon pepper
• pinch of nutmeg
• 4 oz emmentaler or Gruyere cheese, thickly shaved

Instructions:

For the crust

1. Mix the flour and salt together. Using a pastry blender or food processor (or even your fingers) mix the cubes of butter with the flour until the butter is small pea-sized chunks within the flour.
2. Using a fork, mix in the water one tablespoon at a time until the mixture begins to stick together in one large chunk. If it is too dry, add extra tablespoons of cold water until it does.
3. With floured hands, form the dough into a ball and then roll it into a flat square about six inches.
4. Wrap this in a piece of plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour, though it can sit for as long as needed.
5. When ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pull out the dough and roll it out into a 1/4 thick circle. Classically, a large (10 inch) tart tin is used; however a pie tin works just fine. Carefully roll the dough around your rolling pin and then unroll the dough onto the tart or pie tin. Snuggly tuck the dough into the tin so there is no air underneath it. Dock (poke holes with a fork) the dough and crimp the edges.
6. Using one large piece of aluminum foil, cover the dough and then fill the tin with pastry weights or baking beans (basic dry black beans used only for baking). Place in the oven and bake for about fifteen minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes and then carefully remove the baking weights. Return the shell to the oven for an additional five minutes or until the shell is a nice light brown. This is known as blind baking.
7. Remove from the oven and cool in the shell in its tin.

At this point you're ready for those pie weights

For the quiche

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and then sweat the bacon until it is cooked through. Dry it on a paper towel to soak up an excess fat and grease.
3. Mix the eggs, milk, cream, and spices together, beating the eggs into the mix. It helps to use an immersion blender, but a whisk works too.
4. Evenly distribute in your blind baked shell the shaved cheese and bacon bits. Next, fill the shell with the custard mix.
5. Place your quiche in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes until cooked through (insert a toothpick and it should come out clean) and the top is a nice light brown.
6. Cool and then enjoy

Quiche tastes great warm, but it's also good cold as well. The quiche will hold for a few days if well wrapped in the fridge and can be reheated easily in the microwave or a low oven.

Photos by Rachelle Longé