How to make a classic quiche lorraine

Quiche Lorraine is one of those famous classic quiche recipes that almost everyone has heard of. I have made this so many times that I have lost track, so time to place the recipe online as well.

You might think this is a complicated recipe to make but nothing could be further from the truth. It is a very quick recipe, which of course needs to bake in the oven but in terms of active time? There is really very little.

Why this recipe works

• Easy to adjust: the base of this recipe is simple with nothing more than cheese and eggs (and a few other things). Adding additional flavors is super simple. Add some green peas, cooked ham, broccoli or bell peppers. Those would all work very well.
• Great side dish: Add a big green salad to a slice of quiche Lorraine and you have a delicious and simple meal.

Recipe ingredients

For making the quiche Lorraine you need the following ingredients. Make sure to double-check the exact quantities in the recipe card below. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.

• shortcrust pastry – I have the sweet version for making shortcrust pastry here and here are the instructions on how to make the savory short crust pastry. Shortcrust gives it a lovely flaky crust. Of course you can also use ready made pie dough.
• cheese – no Quiche Lorraine is complete without a substantial amount of melty cheese. You can use Swiss cheese, gruyère cheese or basically any kind of cheese you like in the quiche filling. I mostly use Gouda cheese.
• eggs – the eggs are what binds the quiche together and gives it that lovely creamy consistency.
• bacon – I added quite a bit of bacon to the quiche Lorraine and that is delicious but also totally optional
• crème fraîche – you can replace the crème fraîche with heavy cream, but if you do I would add another egg to be safe on a good structure.

How to make a quiche Lorraine

In addition to the ingredients, you will need a pie pan or a tart pan and some pie weights to blind bake the crust before adding the filling. You don’t want a soggy bottom, so blind baking is highly recommended here.

Step 1: make the dough and fry the bacon

You start by making the dough and chilling this in the fridge while you prepare the rest. Next, fry the bacon in a dry skillet until crispy. Let it drain on a paper towel and set aside. Finely chop the spring onions and mix with the bacon

Step 2: Make the filling.

For making the filling you take a large bowl and add the eggs, crème fraîche and the grated cheese. Add pepper and salt to your taste and a bit of grated nutmeg.

Step 3: Prepare the dough and quiche

Once the dough is chilled long enough you take it out of the fridge and roll it out. Line the pie shell with the dough and poke a few holes in the dough with a fork.

For a really nice flaky pie crust I would advise to blind bake the crust first. To do that you line the pan with parchment paper and add pie weights. Bake in the preheated oven for around 15-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and add the filling.

Step 4: Bake the quiche

Bake the quiche for 30-35 minutes in the oven until golden brown and the filling is set.

Storing the quiche

I really love to make a big quiche for myself and store some pieces for another time.

Store in the fridge

You can store the baked quiche Lorraine in the fridge for 3-4 days. Make sure you wrap it tightly or use an airtight container for storing it.

Store in the freezer

Freezing is also an option; wrap tightly in plastic wrap before adding it to the freezer.

Reheating is best done at 325˚F/160˚C for about 10-15 minutes. Depending on the size of the pieces.