Quiche Lorraine

I tried to be educational and figure out where the name “Lorraine” came from in this most basic of quiches.  But alas, I found nothing really that concrete.  Wikipedia talks about how the Lorraine Francophonian dialect is where the name came originated, but that is so boring.  I’d much prefer to think that an amazing chef named it after his favorite customer, his mom, wife, or his petite chienne.  But it doesn’t look like it.  Despite my affinity for all things French, quiche had never been a favorite.  I feel like I had some scarring quiche experience as a child since I have always been skeptical of their jiggly-ness, but when you get to the ingredient list, there is NO WAY I could dislike quiche.  To be careful, I went with the fool-proof Cooks Illustrated recipe and you know what, I don’t hate quiche at all. 

Quiche Lorraine

1 frozen pie crust (back to my trusty Pillsbury)

8 oz bacon, sliced into pieces

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 c. whole milk

1 c. heavy cream (NO WAY I could dislike this)

½ t, salt

½ t. pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

½ c. grated gruyere cheese

I followed the instructions on the pie crust box for the crust.  They specifically say for quiches to not blind bake the crust.  But I think it could have done with 10 minutes lined with foil.  I used an actual quiche pan, but a pie pan or tart pan would work as well.  Make sure the excess crust is all folded under and not hanging off the edge.  On to the good part.  Fry up the bacon pieces and once they are nice and crispy, set aside to drain on a paper towel.  Meanwhile, whisk together the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese).  Layer the bacon and cheese on the bottom of the pie crust.  Pour in the custard mixture (should come up to about ½” below the edge) and bake for about 32-35 minutes.  Now comes the hard part.  Let it cool and set for about TEN minutes.  Stud and I failed at this step and it broke apart as soon as we sliced it.  So be patient.

To off-set the cream, bacon, cheese, and pie crust, we had this with a huge salad.  It was amazing.  I now love quiche.  And you can serve it at room temp, but I much prefer it warm.  Unless they are mini-quiches.  Those can be deadly and addicting and are good at any temperature.  Now I am officially ready to begin experimenting with quiche.  Who knows what else I can add.  Mushrooms.  Asparagus.  More cheese. Spinach.