Quiche Lorraine
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With smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère, and shallots, this classic quiche Lorraine is one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable.
When I was in college, I studied abroad in Tours, France, a university town about one hour from Paris. Every day for lunch, I would walk to a neighborhood boulangerie, treat myself to a mini quiche, and then stroll back to class through a maze cobbled streets, relishing every bite while soaking up scenery. I don’t recall a single course I took at that school, but the simple pleasure of eating that quiche is seared into my memory. Quiche Lorraine, named after the Lorraine region of France, is one of the most iconic French quiches and also one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable. Richly flavored with smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère cheese, and shallots, it’s ideal for brunch, lunch, or dinner, especially paired with a green salad and crisp white wine.
To make life easy, I recommend using a store-bought frozen crust. A homemade crust is delicious but time-consuming to make, and with a good-quality frozen crust, you can whip up an amazingly delicious quiche with almost no effort.
What You’ll Need To Make Quiche Lorraine
- For the richest, creamiest custard, I recommend using heavy cream rather than milk or half & half (you’ll also notice that I bake quiche at 325°F rather than 350°F, as higher temperatures can cause the eggs to scramble. Baking quiches at a lower temperature makes the custard incredibly silky.)
- Be sure to use a deep-dish pie crust; a regular 9-inch crust is not deep enough to hold all of the filling. I prefer the frozen variety, as it’s ready to cook.
- For the cheese, be sure to use an authentic Swiss-made Gruyère that bears the AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) seal, which shows that the cheese is made according to strict government-mandated rules and quality standards. It’s pricey but you only need 4 ounces (and any that you have leftover makes wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches).
Step-by-Step instructions
To begin, remove the pie crust from freezer and thaw for about 10 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork.
Bake on until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. (Keep an eye on it; if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate.) Don’t panic if your crust cracks in the oven. You can easily fix it by making a smooth paste from 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of water. Using your fingers, patch up and fill any cracks with the paste, then place the crust back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
While the crust cooks, dice the bacon. To make it easier to work with, pop it in the freezer for 10 minutes or so beforehand. Place the diced bacon in a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat from the pan and add the shallots.
Cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, and then the heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg.
Whisk until evenly combined.
Spread the shallots evenly over the bottom of the cooked crust.
Top with half of the bacon.
Then all of the Gruyère.
Then the remaining bacon.
Pour the egg/cream mixture over top.
Slide the quiche (still on the baking sheet) into the oven and bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and lightly golden. Serve the quiche hot or at room temperature.
How To Freeze Quiche Lorraine
This quiche freezes beautifully for up to three months. After baking and cooling the quiche, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating. Remove the plastic wrap and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven until hot in the center.
You May Also Like
- Classic French Spinach Quiche
- Leek & Parmesan Quiche
- Ham & Cheese Oven-Puffed Pancake
- Crustless Broccoli Quiche
Quiche Lorraine
With smoky bacon, nutty Gruyère, and shallots, this classic quiche Lorraine is one of the most satisfying dishes imaginable.
Ingredients
- One 9-inch deep-dish frozen pie crust
- 8 oz thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices), diced
- ½ cup chopped shallots, from 2 medium shallots
- 4 large eggs
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 4 oz Gruyère, finely shredded (about 1¼ cups)
Instructions
- Blind bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the middle position. Remove the pie crust from freezer and thaw until just soft enough to easily prick with a fork, about 10 minutes. (If there are any cracks in the crust, see note below on how to patch them up.) Prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork. Place the crust on a baking sheet to make it easy to move in and out of the oven. Bake on until lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it; if it puffs up while cooking, gently prick it with a fork so it will deflate. (If it cracks while baking, see note below for instructions on how to patch it up.) Set aside and reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- In a medium nonstick sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but one tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the heavy cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg; whisk until evenly combined.
- Spread the shallots evenly over the bottom of the cooked crust. Top with half of the bacon, all of the Gruyère, and then the remaining bacon. Pour the egg/cream mixture over top.
- Slide the quiche (still on the baking sheet) into the oven and bake at 325°F for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and lightly golden. Serve hot or warm.
- Note: Don't panic if your crust has cracks -- you can easily fix it. Make a smooth paste by mixing 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water. Use your fingers to patch up and fill any cracks, then proceed with the recipe. If the crust cracks while blind baking, patch it afterwards and place it back in the oven for a minute or so to set. It should be good as new.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This quiche can be fully prepared up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. To reheat: Cover the quiche with aluminum foil and heat in a preheated 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cooked quiche can be frozen for up to 3 months. After baking and cooling the quiche, wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Remove the quiche from the freezer about 24 hours prior to eating. Remove the plastic wrap and reheat it, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until hot in the center.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 616
- Fat: 51 g
- Saturated fat: 24 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Sodium: 575 mg
- Cholesterol: 232 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Once all of the ingredients are prepped, this recipe is so easy to make! It’s a great dinner choice and everyone likes it. Thank you!
JanetO’Connor
Loved it and so did my husband. He said it was the best quiche he has ever had. And he is picky. Thanks!
absolutely delicious!!! fluffy, creamy….i dont think i will make any other quiche besides this. i was worried because i didnt have eggs but had eggbeaters. still came out wonderful!
Love the easy / step-by-step pics of making this quiche. Turned out great.
Great recipe! Followed it precisely and it turned out perfectly. Thanks for sharing.
I make your quiches exclusively! I’ve never had a failure with any of your recipes…you’re my “go to!” Can I make these as tartlets? Any recommendations?
So glad you like the quiches! I think these will work as tartlets. Depending on how small you’d like them, you could use a standard or mini muffin tin (unless you’ve got tartlet pans which will make the job of removing them easier). Small versions of this will less time in the oven so you’ll need to keep a close eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try them!
This was just delicious! I used half n half to minimize a little of the calories. The taste was superb. Even my husband liked it.
Hi Jen! Merry Christmas! Can ham be substituted for bacon? If so, how much? Best wishes for a wonderful 2023!!
Beth
Sure, Beth, that will work, and I’d use 8 ounces. Please LMK how it turns out!
it was delicious with 8 oz of ham. I also switched to an all butter pastry crust and used a spring form pan. It all worked great! thanks for your help and keep the recipes coming!!
Happy new year!!
So glad it came out well — thanks for taking the time to report back!
I made this for Christmas dinner. It was so good. My picky husband loved it! He want me to make it again.