Recipe for a quiche like Lorraine
Alsace and Lorraine, two provinces in eastern France, haven't had an easy history. Until 1945, Germany and France wrested control of the region from each other several times, but fortunately, despite the political challenges, the culinary traditions remained intact. Alsace-Lorraine gave birth to the world's most famous quiche. Well, that's not entirely true. When it was part of Germany, Lorraine gave birth to the bacon, egg and cream quiche. Adding onions made it a Quiche Alsacienne. Adding gruyere cheese made it a dish that isn't one side of the Rhine or the other. This recipe takes a few liberties with tradition, but it's a quiche like Lorraine in taste and spirit, perfect for lunch or dinner with a crunchy salad and a glass of sparkling wine.
Quiche Lorraine
From the pantry, you'll need: eggs, bacon, grated cheese, refrigerated pie crust, onion, Greek yogurt.
Serves 6.
Ingredients
1 refrigerated pie crust, or homemade pie crust for a single-crust pie
4 slices center-cut bacon
1 medium onion, diced
5 large eggs
2 Tbsp Greek yogurt, heavy cream or skim milk
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Unroll one pie crust (for a 9-inch pie) and center it in a pie plate. Crimp the edges by hand, or press a design all around with a fork, or just bunch it down in a more rustic way. Set aside.
Stretch the bacon out in a cold nonstick frying pan. Turn the heat to medium, and cook until the bacon is brown but not crispy. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Add the onions to the frying pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are completely wilted and just starting to brown. Remove from the pan and add to the bacon.
Let the bacon and onions cool for at least 10 minutes. (This step is important; if the filling is too hot, it will melt the pastry before the quiche gets to the oven.)
In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk the eggs until they are smooth. Add the yogurt/cream/milk, and whisk again. Stir in the cheese, salt and pepper.
Crumble the bacon and scatter the bacon and onions in the pie crust. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top.
Bake for 40 minutes. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Red pepper, asparagus and spinach quiche
Asparagus, mushroom and sausage quiche
One-bite vegetable quiche
Turkey and cheese in puff pastry
Zucchini frittata
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Salmon and leek quiche, from Chocolate & Zucchini
Purple potato and carrot quiche, from Gluten-Free Goddess
Spinach and feta quiche, from A Veggie Venture
Leek and gruyere quiche with bacon breadcrumbs, from Bitchin' Camero
Quiche Lorraine scones, from Brown Eyed Baker
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It's funny that with all the schooling I've had in quiche, nobody every really mentioned Alsace. They always called it an onion tart. I like the romance of your explanation much more.
I learned how to make my quiche lorraine in Alsace. :-) Yours looks delicious!
Why is it that I always forget how much I love quiche? This, of course, looks amazing. YUM!
Now that I can use loads of dairy in my house again, this is going into a meal plan very soon! I love a good quiche.
My sister makes Quiche Lorraine for Christmas brunch every year, and I always forget how wonderful it is until I taste hers again. This looks just as good; wish I had a piece.
TW, some of the world's most epic battles have been fought over land (or water). So it's amazing that the region has such a strong sense of identity.
Mindy, that's funny. This isn't an authentic quiche Lorraine, of course, but it has all of the flavors.
Michelle, same here. I don't make them for years, and then I go on a quiche kick and make all different kinds.
Amanda, I'm so glad you can enjoy dairy again.
Kalyn, I always think of quiche as a special treat, maybe because I love the crust (and yes, there is crustless quiche, but with the crust it's so much better).
I always thought of (and made) quiche Lorraine as "ham and cheese" and never gave it's origins much thought! Thanks for the info and another great recipe using the darling of the cooking world - greek yogurt!