France • Regional Dish • Breakfast
French Quiche Lorraine
Shortcrust pastry bakes crisp under smoked bacon and egg custard for a rich, savory tart with clean Lorraine-style flavor.
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Butter a 24 cm tart tin lightly. Line it with the pastry, press it into the edges and chill it for 15 minutes.
- Prick the base with a fork. Line the pastry with baking paper and baking weights. Blind-bake for 15 minutes, then remove the paper and weights and bake for 5 minutes more until the base looks dry and lightly coloured.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly browned but not hard. Drain it well so the filling does not turn greasy.
- Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, crème fraîche, milk, nutmeg and pepper in a bowl until smooth. Do not add extra salt unless the bacon is unsalted.
- Scatter the bacon over the warm pastry shell. Pour in the custard carefully so it sits just below the rim.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is set at the edges but still has a slight wobble in the centre. Do not overbake or the custard will turn grainy.
- Rest the tart for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cultural Context
Quiche Lorraine comes from the historic region of Lorraine in northeastern France. It’s a savory tart built on pâte brisée with a filling of eggs, cream and smoked lardons. In the Lorraine tradition, cheese is not required. That matters because many modern recipes fold in Gruyère and present it as standard though that drifts from the traditional French profile. Larousse and Académie du Goût both emphasize pastry, bacon, and custard, with some versions using milk alongside cream and others using extra yolks for richness.
Fun Fact
Lorraine has its own Confrérie de la Quiche Lorraine, a gastronomic brotherhood that defends the traditional recipe.
Cook’s Tip
Do not overbake or the custard can turn grainy. Keep the filling simple and let the bacon and custard do the work.
Trivia
French foodies still stress that classic quiche Lorraine needs no cheese.
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