Quiche Lorraine Recipe (2024)

By Gabrielle Hamilton

Quiche Lorraine Recipe (1)

Total Time
3 hours 35 minutes
Rating
4(580)
Notes
Read community notes

There are plenty of opportunities in cooking to riff and freestyle, and many dishes that you can legitimately “set and forget” until mealtime. But this quiche Lorraine is definitely not one of them. If you aren’t in the mood to build — stone by stone — the most classic, tender, custardy, haunting quiche you’ve ever had in your life, continue on and come back another day. If you’re still here, it’s just a matter of enjoying yourself as you take meticulous care with each ingredient, including the size and depth of the pan; each step, including the temperature changes of the oven; and each direction along the way. The downright platonic ideal of quiche that results is the fragrant, golden, encouraging reminder that, as with any endeavor, you only ever get out of it what you put into it.

Featured in: Real People Eat Quiche

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisem*nt

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Tart Shell

    • 1cup flour
    • 1healthy pinch salt
    • 1egg
    • 5tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes the size of your thumbnail
    • Ice water
    • 1tablespoon butter, for the pan

    For the Filling

    • 7ounces pancetta, sliced into short matchsticks
    • 1teaspoon grapeseed or neutral oil
    • 7ounces Gruyère, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
    • 2large eggs
    • 4large yolks
    • 2cups heavy cream
    • Salt and pepper
    • A nut of nutmeg

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Mix flour and salt with a fork in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and add the egg and butter. Mix all the ingredients, using the fork to mash the butter and beat the egg into the flour, until everything is blended together, roughly.

  2. Step

    2

    Spoon over the dough about 1 to 3 tablespoons of ice water, and mix together, using the fork or a plastic flexible pastry dough scraper. If using a dough scraper, press down on the dough and smear it a bit, to get the butter cubes to incorporate without letting the heat of your hands warm up the dough. Work quickly and with muscle.

  3. Step

    3

    Use your hands to quickly work the dough into a flat disc, and refrigerate an hour.

  4. Step

    4

    Butter a false-bottomed fluted tart pan, 8 inches wide and 2 inches deep. Refrigerate pan. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to ⅛ inch, rotating every few strokes, to keep the disc round and even. Drop the disc over the tart pan, and gently press the dough into the bottom and side, allowing excess to extend beyond the top of the ring. Roll a pin over the tart shell, and remove the excess dough. Use your finger to press each flute of the fluted edges. Prick the floor of the shell with a fork several times, then freeze the shell for 20 minutes.

  5. Set the tart pan on a baking sheet, line the shell with parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and the beans, and if bottom is not beginning to turn golden, return to oven for a few minutes until it starts to puff and toast golden. Let cool on a rack until ready to fill.

  6. Step

    6

    Blanch the pancetta in boiling water and drain, rinse in cold water, drain and then dry on paper towels. Heat the oil in skillet, and brown the pancetta over medium heat, then drain on paper towels.

  7. Step

    7

    Spread the cooked pancetta in the bottom of the pastry shell. Then sprinkle around the grated Gruyère, minus 1 loose handful.

  8. Step

    8

    Whisk the eggs and the yolks, then add the cream and whisk together until hom*ogeneous. Season with salt and pepper and a few vigorous rasps of the nutmeg on a microplane. Pour the custard into the tart shell, place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

  9. Step

    9

    Lower temperature to 400, and if the quiche is getting dark, cover loosely with foil, then continue baking for 10 or 15 more minutes, until the center just puffs and starts to crack, with a still-jiggly center.

  10. Step

    10

    Remove quiche from oven, and scatter remaining cheese across the top. Place on a wire baking rack to cool, remove the ring and let set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Ratings

4

out of 5

580

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

BigGuy

Nearly every baked custard made with eggs and dairy comes out better using evaporated milk since the milk has already been cooked. It's far more forgiving of cooking errors than heavy cream. Also, it's much cheaper -- $1 for a can of evaporated milk on sale versus $4 for a pint of heavy cream.Use 1 can evaporated whole milk and 3 large eggs to make a custard; savory or sweet. Add a melted quarter stick of butter if you want it a richer taste.

Jan

Catherine: No one is suggesting a steady diet of quiche. And certainly no home cook is going to do all this work on a daily basis. Quiche Lorraine is an indulgence - an occasional treat to be savored. How about this? If you think it’s not healthy, don’t make it! Let the rest of us grown-ups decide for ourselves.

maeve

If you haven't read the accompanying article, please do. It's wonderful -- a paean to hard work and building a quiche layer by layer. It's not meant to be forgiving. As she says in the notes:"If you aren’t in the mood to build — stone by stone — the most classic, tender, custardy, haunting quiche you’ve ever had in your life, continue on and come back another day."So please, no evaporated milk or chunked cheese or verbiage on cholesterol!

Jean, France (2/2)

And, for the filling: try this also: once the pastry shell is ready to be filled: instead of using grated Gruyère: cut the Gruyère (or Emmenthal) in large cubes and spread those on the empty shell, with the pancetta (or "lard fumé"), and fill with the liquid preparation of egg yolks/cream : once cooked, the cheese cubes will have melted "on site" and the sensation is great for you eyes or you palate...Enjoy!

Jean, France (1/2)

Nice recipe.My father was from Lorraine...my Mom from Britanny.I learned looking at Maman preparing the quiche for a family of seven kids and a "lorrain" Papa.For the dow: we used to have "fresh raw milk" : had to boil it every day and let it rest overnight. In the morning we removed the thick creamy skin and kept it in a bowl in the fridge. When the bowl was full, Maman made a dough: replacing the butter by the cream skin...If you are so lucky to find raw milk...Enjoy

Andy Forelli

I've always enjoyed making quiche and used a recipe taken from my mom blended with Julia Child's recipe in Mastering The Art of French Cooking. My quiches have always been thoroughly enjoyed because of the steps taken and attention to detail. I love this recipe and the article you wrote.

Cy

Again dears if the calorie count freaks you out, don’t make it and don’t eat it. life is short, a little indulgence is good for you,unless it freaks you out.:)) The article is beautifully written and as a passionate home cook, I appreciate the sentiment and the dedication. I love food and cooking/baking, but, mostly sharing it with others. I/ve had great success with evaporated milk in flan,but never tried it in quiche. I tend to be a purest, but if it works well and tastes delicious, why not?

Alan Bennett

Your cooking time was off because you literally did not make this recipe.

Roberto

This is fantastic writing. Thank you for reminding us to slow down and be present. I suspect many of us are inspired today and it will be a Sunday slow cooking afternoon for many-- very therapeutic and rewarding.

Passion for Peaches

Excellent recipe, made according to instructions minus the pork. Very tender, rich curd. Took bout 6 minutes longer (at 400 setting) in my oven. Used one carmelized onion with a few diced brown mushrooms (cook all until dark gold, deglaze pan and sauté until no liquid left) in place of pancetta. Pastry could use more flavor, though. May add ground spice or herb to shell dough next time. Maybe cumin?

Jane

Pie weights can be either raw beans or purchased ceramic or metal “peas.” For many years I’ve used well washed pebbles gathered from the waves on Long Beach Island. They bring a smile every time I bake.

kl

The writing! My god! I don’t even care about the food. The writing! Thank you!

Liz

Sorry, but evaporated milk has a flavor all its own and thus can’t be substituted for heavy cream without affecting the taste of the finished dish. The taste is affected negatively, in my opinion. Money and calories can be saved elsewhere.

Will

The chickens, however, weep salty tears for the loss of future generations and the cows long for milk to feed their young...

Andy

Made this as written. Well, I used my own pastry recipe (2 cups flour, 1 cup butter, salt, ice water, etc). But otherwise exactly as. So simple. So sublime. All the little notes, like removing the beans and baking the crust a little longer until the bottom is golden, and allowing the quiche to cool on a baking rack rather than in the tin, help make the bottom crust layer crisp-- which is EVERYTHING. Those who ate this groaned with pleasure and silently and unapologetically stole another piece.

steve

Meh. I was expecting the broth to contribute more chicken flavor. Also thought the rosemary didn’t add enough flavor. This won’t go on my rotation.

Madge

1/18/24 - I used 1c cream instead of 2.

Darcy

Too rich for me! I wish the instructions had been more explicit re: blanching pancetta.

Angie

Curious why it’s necessary to blanch the pancetta or bacon first?

Greg

This would have been a lot of work had I followed the directions. Instead I thawed out frozen puff pastry, and used bacon rather than pancetta. I used all the ingredients listed and it came out perfect.

Andrea C

For a vegetarian version, I caramelized 2 lbs of white onions and lined the bottom of the tart with them in place of the pancetta. It probably didn’t keep the liquid out of the tart as much as the pancetta would have but it was really amazingly delicious!

Anne

480g cream

jewelryjeff

I didn't have a tart shell with 2" sides so I used a 9" Pyrex pie plate. It was fine. Followed the recipe exactly because Gabrielle's recipes always work and are a joy to read!

Gail Wolf

For those looking for this size quiche pan, I found one on Amazon.

Gail Wolf

I have made this recipe twice in a 2” high quiche pan, and both times the crust shrinks substantially. I make sure not to stretch the dough when putting it in the pan but it still shrinks. Can anyone help me?

Paul

The supermarket didn't have gruyere today, so I used a mix of Oka, Edam and Grana Padano. Not traditional, but still delicious.

Gina

Curious if anyone has prepared the crust to first bake and then froze it to resume another time?

Elle

Substitutions I have made, that work very well:1. Lard for butter in the pastry dough;2. Swiss cheese for Gruyère; and 3. Thick cut bacon sliced into matchsticks for pancetta.

Ruth

My daughter Nina and I made this quiche for her middle school French class competition. We followed the recipe carefully and came out just perfect. She won the competition and an extra credit -A- for her class. Worth the effort! Will make it again for sure.

Polly, the wayward Texan

I LOVE quiche. I've made this recipe twice and keep having the same problem: it will not set up. I've had to add 30-45 minutes to the baking time and it still serves up as a gloppy mess rather than the lovely firm custard that I've had with restaurant quiche. I am pretty sure my oven is hitting the right temp, as I'm not having this problem with anything else I bake. Any advice?

Private notes are only visible to you.

Quiche Lorraine Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for quiche? ›

Quiche Ratio: 1 large egg to 1/2 cup of dairy

You'll need to increase the amount of eggs and milk based on the size of your quiche, so knowing the basic ratio makes it really easy to scale up or down. For a standard 9-inch quiche: Use 3 large eggs (6 ounces) 1 1/2 cups of whole milk or cream (12 ounces)

What's the best cheese for quiche? ›

Cheese: Some favorites include feta cheese, goat cheese, cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, and gruyere. Add-Ins: Add up to 2 cups add-ins including vegetables and meat/seafood. Most quiche add-ins should be pre-cooked and can still be warm when mixing into the egg filling.

What's the difference between quiche and quiche lorraine? ›

Quiche (/ˈkiːʃ/ KEESH) is a French tart consisting of pastry crust filled with savoury custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. A well-known variant is quiche lorraine, which includes lardons or bacon.

Is milk better than heavy cream in quiche? ›

In fact, Martha Stewart's recipe for a classic quiche filling lists equal parts whole milk and heavy cream (1 ½ cups of each). To determine the ratio of milk or cream to eggs that should be used in a quiche recipe, remember that it's one egg to one-half cup of cream or milk.

What is the ratio of eggs to milk in a quiche? ›

Ratios: The best way to make a quiche is to add the eggs to a large measuring cup, then add the cream or milk. For every egg used you should add enough milk or cream to create a 1/2 cup. Meaning for 1 egg you will add enough cream or milk to make 1/2 a cup of mixture.

Can I use milk instead of cream in my quiche? ›

Substitution Tip!

While it is not as traditional for quiches such as quiche Lorraine, you can use milk instead of heavy cream for quiche. While the results are not *as* rich as if heavy cream is used, I find that by the time you factor in the cheese and eggs, the quiche is not at all lacking in indulgence.

Should quiche be cooked at 350 or 375? ›

BAKE in center of 375°F oven until center is almost set but jiggles slightly when dish is gently shaken and knife inserted near center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

Can you put too much cheese in a quiche? ›

A Few General Rules for Making Perfect Quiches

2. Never use more than 2 cups of cheese. Too much cheese will make the quiche not set properly.

Why do you put flour in quiche? ›

Here are a couple things to focus on if you want to bake an exceptional quiche.
  1. Thicker crust: Establishing a great crust is everything in the quiche realm. ...
  2. Add flour to your filling: Adding a bit of flour to your quiche filling helps absorb moisture and stabilize things in general.
Aug 26, 2023

What is not a traditional ingredient in quiche Lorraine? ›

Purists will tell you that only bacon, cream, and eggs are allowed. Though it is common to find other ingredients like Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and even chives. The original quiche Lorraine may not include cheese, but I won't tell anyone if you decide to add one cup of shredded Gruyere to the mix.

Should you Prebake crust for quiche? ›

And yes, as you'll see, you should always prebake quiche crust to avoid a gummy pastry. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Roll out your homemade or purchased refrigerated dough into a 12-inch circle.

What does quiche mean in slang? ›

quiche (comparative more quiche, superlative most quiche) (slang) Extremely appealing to look at; sexually alluring. I'm not even bragging, but me and my friends are pretty much quiche.

Why is my quiche so watery? ›

Tip #2: Cook your veggies first

Excess moisture is one reason why quiches collapse in a watery pool on your plate. Vegetables and meats like ham give off tremendous amounts of water when they're cooked. Therefore, if you're using vegetables in your quiche, it's imperative that you cook them first.

Why is my homemade quiche watery? ›

If your quiche appears too watery to serve it could be because it was overbaked or underbaked, the egg to dairy ratio was not correct, the ingredients have too much liquid or it was baked on the wrong rack in the oven.

Why does my quiche always have a soggy bottom? ›

Wet pie fillings + raw dough are a tricky combination. If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

What is quiche made of? ›

Ingredients for Quiche filling:

Eggs – The base for our quiche. We want these eggs at room temperature to ensure they emulsify well (cold eggs won't beat together with the other ingredients as easily). Whole milk and heavy cream – To make this quiche super creamy and delicious.

What is a quiche base made of? ›

Quiche crusts are made with shortcrust pastry. The name “shortcrust” refers to the baking term “short” which means pastries that are flaky and crumble when you cut into them.

What is the ratio of eggs to milk in quiche reddit? ›

I use the rules 1 egg to 1/2 cup dairy, so my standard is 3 eggs and 1.5 cups of a mix of cream and milk (depending on how healthy I'm making it!). More cream = more rich. I've seen recipes fully heavy cream, and recipes fully semi-skimmed milk. I tend to do half and half or 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup cream.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kerri Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 6301

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kerri Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1992-10-31

Address: Suite 878 3699 Chantelle Roads, Colebury, NC 68599

Phone: +6111989609516

Job: Chief Farming Manager

Hobby: Mycology, Stone skipping, Dowsing, Whittling, Taxidermy, Sand art, Roller skating

Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.