Quiche Lorraine a Long Way From Lorraine

Quiche Lorraine a Long Way From Lorraine

Best quiche I’ve ever eaten was at a small outdoor café on the Place St Jacques in Metz, France. Haven’t been back in over a year and the light and exquisite quiche still calls to my taste buds, tenderly and sweetly.  Taste buds don’t forget.

The real thing, in Lorraine

Want the history of Quiche Lorraine?  Didn’t think so and frankly it’s a little hard to track down the origin among the plethora of dishes made with eggs and cream.  The name may have come from the German word for cake, Kuchen, but even that’s as uncertain as a blind man walking the plank.  

But, history or no history, I decided to make quiche.  You may be surprised I didn’t just fly to France and sit at the outdoor café, or sign up for Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. My wife was surprised, too.  But, in these times of stress, one does not venture far from home.  One may not be able to venture back.

Before I give you the recipe, you have to understand that for every sexy woman in Lorraine, there are at least two versions of quiche.  Most share the common ingredients:  eggs, crème fraiche, lardons, and Gruyère cheese.   But, if you stray from the standards, the culinary sky is the limit. Salmon.  Vegetables as far apart as onions and broccoli and asparagus.  Various flavorings.

Sadly, after my death defying bike ride a mile or two to the local grocer, I discovered crème fraiche and lardons are not part of the American diet, and the cost of Gruyère requires a down payment and credit check.

For the crème fraiche I had several options:  Use heavy cream alone, or add one tablespoon of buttermilk to a cup of heavy cream and wait 12 hours at room temperature for it to turn into crème fraiche.   Or, I could shoot from the hip and use half heavy cream and half sour cream. I drew fast and shot from the hip.  Fortunately, I’m a good shot.

Rather than forfeit my meager allowance on a bit of Gruyère, I grabbed a package of Baby Swiss. Flavors are nearly the same.

Lardons morphed into four slices of thick bacon, some fat removed, cut in small bits, fried and drained on a paper towel.

Of course, my friends in the U.K. or on the continent, will not have these problems.

Now that you know the secrets of my almost Quiche Lorraine, here’s the recipe.

Quiche Lorraine a Long Way From Lorraine

Heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC)

Pastry crust (see note below the recipe for instructions)

1/2  pound of thick cut bacon, cut into bits, fried and drained

1 1/2 cup chopped baby Swiss cheese (usually comes sliced)

6 large eggs

3/4  cup of heavy cream

3/4  cup sour cream

Vegetarians never fear!  Just leave out the bacon/lardons and you will still have an amazingly tasty dish!

Smacking it together

Roll out the pastry crust, fit it in your pie plate, prick the bottom and sides with a fork, and put it in a 400ºF oven for 7 minutes.

When the piecrust comes out of the oven, turn the oven down to 350ºF, and set the pie crust aside.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl, add the cream/sour cream and beat until blended or your significant other complains about the noise. Add the cheese and continue beating, complaints or not, until all is blended. 

Scatter the bacon chips on the bottom of the crust, then pour in the egg mixture. You may need a spatula to scrape all the bits of cheese out of the bowl.

Bake for 40 minutes.  All ovens are different, so check after 30 minutes.

After baking, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes, but watch it carefully.

I served this with a nice Alsatian rosé.

So how did it compare with the Alsatian version, the thing of dreams? Very, very close.  But, when I get the chance, I’m still going back to Place St Jacques.  You know how it is about the memory of old loves.

And yes, I am a guy who likes to quiche and tell.

No dinner is complete without an espresso and a glass of a charming Armagnac!

Pastry Crust:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

large pinch of sea salt

8 tablespoons of butter, cut into bits

6 tablespoons cold water

Put all the ingredients, except the water, in a food processor and pulse until all is blended. Should look like coarse meal.

Put the water in by spoon-full to spread it around.  Pulse again until the dough clumps together.  Roll it out thinly on a surface dusted with flour. 

So simple!  You will find yourself using this flaky crust over and over.

The only way I can introduce my blog to new readers is on Pinterest and by my loyal subscribers and casual visitors spreading the word to friends and reposting on social media.  Thanks so much for your help!