My French conversation group
has an annual luncheon to celebrate la fête nationale—Bastille
Day as we Yanks call it—and there’s always a bit of an unofficial
competition over the food. This year I offered to make quiche
Lorraine, which I think contains the perfect balance of a light,
creamy custard set off by salty, savory bacon.
I added not-traditional
chives to mine, for added flavor and color
Although now known as a
classic French dish, quiche originated in Germany (the word comes
from the German word “Kuchen,” or cake). Of course, much
of the Lorraine region has been passed back and forth
between what are now France and Germany over the ages—only settling
down permanently as part of France in 1919. So, not surprisingly, the
cuisine of the Lorraine seems more German than French, with potatoes,
sausages, and cabbage being among the popular dishes.
For our Bastille Day party,
I used my mom’s quiche recipe, which is so simple (there are only
two ingredients for the custard—canned milk and eggs) that you may
not believe it doesn’t contain the traditional whipping cream.
eggs and canned milk with the recipe card Mom gave me when I went off to college
But
when you think about it, it makes sense that the result is so rich,
because by evaporating milk its flavor becomes much more concentrated
and intense. And although you may not want to drink canned milk
straight, it works wonders in baking.
The Crust
Start by making your pie
dough, which is also way easier than you might think: Measure 8
heaping tablespoons of flour into a bowl, and add ½ teaspoon of
salt, and ½ stick (4 oz.) of cold butter, cut into small cubes:
Using a pastry cutter or
knife, cut the butter into the flour, until the butter pieces are
about the size of green peas. (Don’t use your hands, as their heat
will melt the butter; you want the chunks of butter to be separate
from the flour, as this is what makes for a flaky crust.)
Next, add a couple ounces of
ice water, and stir it into the flour mixture with a fork or spoon.
Keep drizzling in water (it
should take about 4 ounces, total) until the dough is moist enough to
just stick together in a ball.
Wrap the dough ball in
plastic wrap and put it in the freezer while you make the filling for
the quiche.
The Filling
Preheat your oven to 350°
F.
Slice ¼ pound of bacon into
thin pieces and fry them until they are just starting to brown at the
edges. Drain off the fat (but keep that delicious fat for frying
potatoes or adding to sautéed kale, or some other yummy dish,
later!) and set the bacon pieces aside.
Coarsely grate ½ to ¾ cup
of white cheese (Gruyère is traditional, but I used Irish cheddar,
as that’s what I had on hand, and it worked great), and set aside.
Chop a few chives, if you
like (not traditional, but very pretty, and they add a bit of zip to
the quiche), and set aside.
my cheese, bacon and
not-yet-chopped chives
My mom’s recipe calls for
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk and 2 eggs per quiche. I was making
two quiches, and decided to use 3 eggs each, since that’s what Mrs.
Rombauer says in The Joy of Cooking. But the eggs were
enormous, so I compromised with 5 for the two pies, which ended up
making the perfect amount of custard.
Pour the canned milk into a
bowl, whisk the eggs and add them, and whisk it all together:
By now your dough should be
good and cold. Roll it out, lay it in the pie pan, crimp the edges,
and poke a bunch of holes in the bottom with a fork:
Scatter the cheese, bacon,
and chives in the pan:
Give the custard a last
whisk and pour it on top of the ingredients:
Bake the quiche until the
center does not jiggle, and the edges are just starting to brown,
which could take anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the
oven, altitude, humidity, and any number of variables. (See photo at top.)
Let it cool a little before
eating. Or, if you’ve made it in advance, chill and reheat at 220°F
for about a half hour.
Here are the ingredients, for easy reference:
8 heaping T flour
4 oz. chilled butter
½ t salt
4 oz. (estimate) ice-water
¼ lb. chopped bacon
½ to ¾ cup grated white cheese
several chives, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
2 or 3 eggs
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